Naruto: The True Uzumaki: 12K REWRITE
by psychopath556
Summary: A rewrite of my Naruto: True Uzumaki fanfiction, with a great many improvements, faster-paced storyline, increased word count and increased awesomeness! I do not own Naruto or any of the characters or franchise
1. Chapter 1

**Ok ladies and gent's I've decided to post this first chapter of my 12K rewrite of Naruto: True Uzumaki early, in truth I've been side tracked the past 2-3 months with other things, fictions and real life matters, so I haven't had the focus I need to work on this, and I kind of lost my spark for the fiction for a while, but I'll be trying to fix that, which is why I'm posting this, I need all the reviews I can get to inspire me, I have a skeleton plan for this fiction up to chapter 18 which will be much more fast paced than my last as by chapter 18 the wave mission should be over and they should be returning to the village, but there will be a hell of a lot happening between then and now, and you will no doubt guess after reading the improvements and changes in this chapter from the original version, so please give in depth reviews once you're done, I need all the creative juices I can get to inspire my writing, hope you enjoy.**

 **thanks goes out to my five Beta readers for helping make this awesome!**

* * *

 **Chapter one- things change**

It was a late autumn evening in the village of Konoha and a peaceful air lay over the village, all except for one group in particular, at the end of one dark alleyway way stood the small form of a young boy, standing at just under four foot tall he had spiky blond hair, Cerulean blue eyes, and three whisker marks on both his cheeks, in his hand was a rusted Kunai that looked to be on its last leg.

The boy wore an old and filthy orange tracksuit that looked to have been slashed to ribbons as dried blood caked half of it, as the boy stood on panted breath facing down his attackers.

Seven fully grown men filled the alleyway blocking his exit, each with different hand-held weapons ranging from rusted pipes and bats to planks of wood with nails, old kitchen knives and broken bottles.

The small boy gritted his teeth in anger as he raised the Kunai in front of himself and snarled in anger, "Come on then you bastards let's see what you've got."

The men rushed the small boy who readied himself for the attacks that came at him. The first man swung an old metal pipe at him but he was large and clumsy aiming to take the boy's head off with his swing, so the boy ducked under the swing and slashed out with his kunai stabbing it hard into the man's kneecap who cried out letting go of the pipe which the boy grabbed and quickly used to block the next attack of a wooden plank with rusted nails in it.

The force of the hit was enough to knock the boy back and into the left wall of the alleyway. The next man went to slash at the boy with his knife but failed when the boy hit the man's hand with surprising speed and strength with the pipe knocking the blade from the man's grasp before driving the pipe up into the man's face busting his nose wide open.

The man fell to the ground clutching his nose as blood poured from it, the young boy jumped back as the other men went to help their wounded friends.

The boy took the rusted pipe in two hands and held it in front of him as he tried to catch his breath from the adrenaline rushing through his veins. He'd been exhausted since this attack had begun with the boy having to run away from the men who were following him only to run into more trouble and then getting chased into the alleyway. He knew he should have just stayed at home but you can only spend so many days on only one cup of instant ramen a day, which was most likely the cause of his exhaustion right now as he could feel his stomach in knots from the lack of food.

"You fucking demon! Why don't you just die already, you murdering filth!" one of the uninjured men snarled as he swung his kitchen knife at the boy.

The boy stepped back avoiding the slash and stuck down at the knife with the pipe and knocked it from the man's hand.

"I didn't murder anyone!" the boy yelled as he swung the pipe at the man's midsection but the man caught it under his arm and gripped the boy's wrist hard before throwing him against the alley wall. The boy's head hit the brick with a sickening crack before he dropped to the ground with a groan, and before he had a chance to get up he had a boot slammed on his back with a crunch as pain shot through his body in a wave of agony. The other men saw their opportunity and started to join in on the assault with fists and weapons as they attacked relentlessly.

It was only by a stroke of luck that on that day a certain young, purple haired, academy student was passing by that ally and she heard the attack taking place.

The young girl was wearing a black t-shirt, brown skirt with fishnet stockings and black shinobi sandals. Her purple hair was tied up in a ponytail and fanned out in a pineapple fashion, and around her neck was a chain with a small metal snake fang pendant.

As she looked down the alleyway and saw the five men beating on a boy younger than herself, her eyes widened and her fists tightened in anger.

"Hey! What the hell do you assholes think you're doing?!" the young girl yelled as she reached for the kunai pouch on her hip.

One of the men looked back at her and scowled, "Fuck off, we're teaching this fucking demon a lesson, this has nothing to do with you, Hebi (Snake) bitch!"

The young girl gritted her teeth at the name, it had been a favourite of the villagers for her ever since she had been rescued and returned three years ago, and she hated it with a passion.

"Oh I'll show you a Hebi bitch!" the girl hissed in anger before she cut her thumb with her kunai and started to run through a series of hand signs before calling out, " **Kuchiyose no Jutsu!** " (Summoning Technique) After she slammed her hand down on the ground an intricate array of black squiggles spread out from her palm before a pillar of smoke rose up from the spot.

The smoke caught the attacker's attention as they looked from the now unconscious form they were beating to the smoke as it faded away only to reveal a seven-foot-tall brown snake with piercing green silted eyes. It hissed at the men in anger as the young girl stood beside it with a smirk on her face, "Bind and squeeze these maggots, make it hurt." the girl said as the large snake shot into action.

The men screamed in fear at the large snake but before they could do anything the large beast had circled the group and the next second they were all squeezed together in its coils as they screamed in pain as the snake squeezed them together to restrain them.

The young girl smirked seeing the men were dealt with before her eyes went to the beaten and bloody form of the young boy the men had been beating. She quickly moved to check if he was still alive.

Kneeling down at his side she placed her hand to his neck wincing at the sight of all the blood and cuts on his body, the men had really worked him over hard, but to her relief she felt a pulse, a shockingly strong one for someone in his condition.

The young girl started to roll him onto his back so she could get her arms under him to carry him to the hospital but just as she got him moved onto his back a new figure appeared in a swirl of leaves.

The figure was an adult woman wearing black pants with white bandages wrapped around her upper left knee, wearing black gloves with metal backs that reached up to her biceps with grey forearm guards over them with a red bandage around her right elbow, and on her right shoulder was a red ANBU (Dark Side) tattoo. Her purple hair reached down to her waist, her hair framing her face and her white porcelain mask that resembled a Neko (Cat) with three red stripes, one vertical one on its forehead and the other two on either side of its cheeks. On her back was a black-gripped O-katana sword with a plain black steel guard.

As the figure appeared her gaze scanned the scene in front of her looking around to see the seven men, some injured, bound by a very large snake before her gaze went to the young girl and she let out an audible sigh from behind her mask.

"Anko-chan, what do you think you're doing setting your snakes on people, they might deserve it but…" the figure started to say as she approached the girl only to stop when she saw the prone form of the young boy clearly very injured, "Kami (God) Naruto what happened" the ANBU said in shock as she quickly moved to check the boy.

The now-named Anko blinked as she looked around and recognised the ANBU who'd appeared as her adoptive sister who'd taken her in three years ago. When she had been returned to the village no one else would have her because of her connections to a certain 'snake', "Neko-chan (Cat), you know this boy, Naruto?"

The ANBU nodded as she knelt down to the pair, "I do, but I don't understand how this could have happened again, he was meant to have other ANBU guarding him."

 _'Again?'_ Anko thought but quickly put it to the side for later before she spoke, "Well they're doing a shit poor job of it, I was passing by and saw those bastards beating the crap out of him, when I confronted them one of them pissed me off so I summoned Doku-san (poison) here to give them a little squeeze to show them not to do that."

Neko frowned beneath her mask as she checked over Naruto's injuries, _'shit, four cracked ribs, two shattered ribs, a broken collarbone and both arms and legs with hairline fractures to the femurs, multiple blunt force trauma with many piercing injuries already healing, this is a bad one'_ , "I'll deal with the why later, right now we have to get him to Hokage-Sama and get his injuries treated.", she said as she moved to lift him, wary of his injuries as she did so.

As she stood up two other figures arrived both wearing similar outfits to Neko however they wore different masks, one a Taka (Hawk) the other a Kuma (Bear).

"Shit, we're too late." the Kuma (Bear) ANBU said under his breath.

Neko scowled under her mask, "What took you two so long to respond to this? You were supposed to be guarding him, and now I find you both slacking off while he was fighting for his life!"

The Taka (Hawk) ANBU held up his hands, "Easy Neko-san, we weren't slacking off, we were following him from a distance as ordered but we must have gotten too close or he saw us too many times, 'cause he got spooked and took off running."

The Kuma (Bear) ANBU nodded in agreement, "Yeah, little guy's faster than he looks, he lead us on a chase for over an hour, before we lost sight of him. We only found him now cause of the chakra surge. For a summoning Jutsu, looks like." Kuma said as he looked around Neko and saw the large snake with the men in its coils, "I assume those are his attackers?"

Neko nodded, "Yes they are, now I'm taking Naruto-Kun to Hokage-Sama to see his injuries are treated, while you two can make yourselves useful and take those pigs to Ibiki, I'm sure he can find a cell for each of them once he hears that they enjoy attacking their fellow civilians and a child at that."

The two ANBU nodded and walked past Neko as she walked out with Anko by her side and Naruto in her arms, "Hold on to me Anko-chan, I'm going to Shunshin (body flicker) us to Hokage-Sama's office, he'll want to hear your report on what has happened."

Anko nodded and took Neko's arm before another strong wind with leaves swirled around them and she felt the familiar pulling sensation of the Shunshin before they were gone with the wind.

* * *

 **Scene break**

In the tallest building in Konoha, the Hokage tower, was the Hokage's office. The room was comfortable, meant for the Hokage to be able to go about his many duties, and as such comfort demanded, the far back of the room was rounded with multiple windows allowing light to fill the room. In front of those windows was the large desk of the Hokage with stacks of paperwork on one side. Along the length of the walls of the room were two sofas with bookshelves, each filled with many books that have been read by the Hokage, on the wall were four paintings, two of them was his precursor.

Behind the desk sat a tired and weary Hiruzen Sarutobi, his face showing his age more and more with every passing year. The last twelve years had taken its toll on the elderly Hokage. He had hoped to no longer be Hokage as it was over twelve years ago he had named his successor, but sadly after the Kyūbi attack, that led to the death of said successor, he had no choice but to retake his position, what was left of it at least.

In the brief delay between his successor's death and his reinstatement the Konoha council, consisting of the elder council, the civilian voice council and the clan heads, had made a grab for power in the village taking most of the elderly Hokage's power away from him by majority votes, more accurately the votes of the elders and the civilians.

Hiruzen had done his best over the years to reclaim what power the Hokage title once had but it had been a slow battle to do so. In the beginning, he had managed to keep the power over the shinobi under his rule as well as the shinobi academy, as well as the ability to pass or deny any law request which took up his time most days.

His first concern had been the village. In the beginning of the shinobi war the academy's age of graduation had been lowered from sixteen to twelve, taking four years of education from the children in order to put out more shinobi to keep up with the other villages. Hiruzen had changed that and return the age of graduation back to what it was before the war as well as making sure all subjects were covered in the academy so that the students had a solid education base to support them in their shinobi careers, those that graduated anyway.

This fact did not sit well with the civilian and elder council who wanted the classes easier so that their children could pass, but Hiruzen had not budged on this matter, and the clans supported him, a fact that he knew was crucial for his position as with a total majority vote would have overruled him and could even evict him from his position something that he could not allow to happen, not only for his sake but for that of his late successor's legacy.

If he had lost his position as Hokage young Naruto would have surely been killed or worse, turned into a mindless drone for war under the control of his former teammate Danzō. The old war hawk would have just loved to get his hands on the Kyūbi Jinchūriki (Nine Tails Container) and use him to overthrow Hiruzen's rule, what little there was of it, and take power for himself.

Hiruzen had to smirk at what that would have implied, if Danzō did take over. Chances are the civilian and elder council would have likely been dead in a week, Hiruzen knew his former friend well and he was not the kind to suffer fools and would have just killed them off. An option Hiruzen wished he'd taken years ago when the civilians had called for Naruto's head, but it was too late for that now, and all he could do was use his ANBU to keep Naruto safe from the villagers anger. There hadn't been an incident in the last four days, something that Hiruzen was grateful for, but that he knew wouldn't last.

He expected an ANBU to arrive any moment and inform him of another attempt on Naruto's life, but what he had not expected was what had appeared in the middle of his office, one of his most trusted ANBU Neko alongside a young girl, Anko Mitarashi, and in Neko's arms a bloody and beaten form of Naruto Uzumaki.

Seeing Naruto in Neko's arms Hiruzen's blood ran cold as he stood up from behind his desk, "What happened?" he asked angrily as he moved around his desk to check on the boy.

Neko frowned behind her mask, "Naruto made his ANBU protection detail and mistook them for people wanting to harm him and ran. His escape lead him into the sights of those who actually wanted to find him, his protection detail didn't arrive until after I did." Neko explained as she placed Naruto on one of the sofas, "During the attack Anko happened by and came to his rescue. It was her Kuchiyose no Jutsu that alerted me that something was wrong. Upon arriving I discovered his attackers bound and Anko-chan by Naruto's side checking on him, he has severe internal injuries, and he needs to have his broken bones set before they can heal"

"Shouldn't we take him to the hospital then?" Anko voiced as she watched Neko remove Naruto's shirt to check him, and winced seeing the bruises that covered his body. They were already starting to swell and darken.

"No, young Naruto has many who dislike him that work in the hospital, it is best that he is treated here," Hiruzen sighed before turning to Anko, "It was a very brave thing you did going to Naruto's aid like that, had you not, I fear the damage could have been much worse."

Anko nodded, "I just did what anyone would do if they saw someone in trouble like that, but I just don't understand it," she said as she watched Neko move her hands over Naruto's body and snap bones back into place, "Why would seven grown men just attack him like that? I know he pranks some folks but it's never anything serious and nothing to prompt a beating like that! I mean Kami, he must be half dead!"

Hiruzen sighed, "That I'm afraid I cannot say my dear, only that young Naruto has been disliked for the most of his life for something he had no control over. I try to keep him safe with regular ANBU guards but there is only so much I can do when the reason to why he is hated is secret even to himself."

Anko blinked, "Wait a minute! You mean he doesn't know why he's being attacked in the first place? Are you fucking kidding me, why the fuck don't you tell him?!" Anko yelled as she realised the implications.

"Anko!" Neko said as her head snapped to glare at her at her outburst.

Hiruzen raised his hand to Neko, gesturing to stand down, "It's alright Neko, her anger is understandable." he said as he eyed Anko for a moment, "I do not keep it from him out of spite Anko, I do so to keep him safe and to allow him to have a normal childhood as best I can."

Anko clenched her fist, "With all due respect Hokage-Sama, but what kind of normal childhood can he have when he is under constant threat of being attacked for a reason he doesn't even know about? Your reason for keeping this secret, whatever it is, seems to just be making it worse on him. Wouldn't it be better just to tell him whatever the reason is and give him a chance to fight back?"

Hiruzen sighed, "You have no idea how much I have asked myself that exact same question in the last three years. Every time something like this has happened and he has been brought here, most of the time with injuries far greater than what he has now," Hiruzen said as his gaze drifted to Naruto's form as Neko stood up after finishing all she could, "but I find myself concerned with how he would react if I did. In his years at the orphanage, Naruto was such a quiet child, always keeping to himself after the other children ignored him. Likely due to seeing how he was treated by the, now former, matron. But that suddenly changed three years ago when I found him on the street after he had been kicked out of the orphanage and I gave him an apartment to live out of while he attends the academy classes. Now this sudden change of moods isn't that concerning in and of itself but combining that with what I have witnessed of him in and outside of the academy, things just don't add up."

Neko nodded, "You're referring to his pranks on the civilians, and the skill he uses to defend himself outside of the academy."

Hiruzen nodded, "The very same, the intelligence, patience and planning he puts into his pranks are not something most notice. When Naruto acts like he does and his grades in the academy are the lowest in his class in all subjects, yet he spends every moment when he's back in his apartment, practising his Kata's and reading over scrolls from the academy. On top of that I have read reports of young Naruto fighting off grown men who have attacked him on their own. That doesn't sound like a failure to me, if I had to take a bet I'd say that he's hiding his abilities but his reasons for doing so are unknown to me, it's for these reasons I have been reluctant to tell him. But I think it's time all the truths were revealed."

* * *

 **Time skip**

It was fifteen minutes before Naruto groaned lowly as he started to wake up his hands going to his head in pain from the beating, "Ow, why does my head feel like someone went to town on it with a metal pipe?….Oh yeah cause someone did."

The sound and comment got the others attention in the room as they looked to him. Hiruzen frowned at the comment, _'I'll have to make sure Ibiki gives those seven extra special treatment'_ he thought as he schooled his features before speaking, "It's good to see you're awake Naruto-Kun, you had us worried for a while there."

Naruto sat up as he leaned on his knees with a groan, "Sorry about that Jiji, just give me a second 'till my ears stop ringing and the room stops spinning."

Hiruzen chuckled slightly before sighing, "Naruto this is Neko and Anko Mitarashi, they are the ones who captured your attackers and ended your attack."

Naruto groaned as he took his head out of his hands and looked up to see the two who Hiruzen was talking about. The first who caught his eye was Anko, who was giving him a smirk as she looked at him as well.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "What are you smirking at?"

Anko's smirk turned into a grin, "Not much just a blond damsel in distress I saved."

Naruto's eye twitched, "Yeah well I'd like to see you take on seven grown men with nothing but a rusty kunai after not having eaten or slept in sixteen hours!"

Anko winced at the tone, it was hard and cold something that the others in the room took notice of as well. The blond stood up and started to stretch his body aching from the beating. As he did so there were some raised eyebrows as they watched the bruises on Naruto's body start to heal with speed before fading away to nothing leaving Naruto's skin clear. This let them see him without interference which was all the more shocking as his body had absolute no fat on it at all. It was lean and toned, with refined muscles that raised even more questions about the blond as he stretched.

Anko blinked, before smirking again and giving an impressed whistle, "Damn, that is one fine piece of something right there. You could bounce a shuriken(throwing star) off those abs"

Hearing the comment Naruto didn't react but instead stopped his stretching and looked to the ground where his torn and slashed tracksuit top was and pulled it on covering what he could before speaking, "Go get your eye candy elsewhere", he replied, his tone still cold.

Hiruzen sighed, "Naruto my boy I think we need to talk about a few things."

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, "Can this wait till tomorrow Jiji? It's been a long day."

Hiruzen shook his head, "I'm sorry Naruto but it can't, I have questions for you and there are some things you need to hear about certain things that have been kept from you."

That got Naruto's attention, "What secrets do you mean?" he asked as he looked to Hiruzen with a curious look.

Hiruzen shook his head, "That will come after my questions, Naruto. First I need to know just why you have been hiding your skills and intelligence in the academy. I've seen your grades and things aren't adding up, by different reports I've received you should be scoring much higher in all your classes yet you aren't, I'd like to know why that is?" Hiruzen asked as he watched Naruto closely, "I'd also like to ask how is it that you look like you do. If I had to compare your physicality to other people I've seen, I'd compare your muscle definition to a veteran Jōnin."

Naruto sighed as he listened to the questions put to him before speaking, "Honestly? What other choices do I have in this village Jiji? Every step I take, every move I make, is watched, criticized, scrutinized, punished or sabotaged by my shitty teachers in the academy. I flunk my tests, skimp out on my lessons and fake-fail because I'd rather that then have to put up with the sabotage, and stupid teachers telling me I'm no good when I know better. You remember my first day at the academy, Jiji? Where I won my Taijutsu spar against that Uchiha kid? And what did the teacher say? That I 'must have cheated' before he sent me to the heads office where the bastard beat me for an hour straight calling it 'punishment for cheating'. And you wonder why I don't bother proving my skills to anyone."

Anko frowned, she remembered the former head of the academy as well, he'd tried a few times to get her alone in his office, and had succeeded one time, but her snakes kept him at bay. With one nearly sinking its teeth into his crotch he backed off permanently. Didn't hurt that after Neko had found out she had a little 'chat' with him. She said that if he had ever tried again she'd introduce him to the sharp end of her O-Katana.

Hiruzen frowned. He did remember that incident. He had the bastard executed after it was reported to him and Naruto was brought to his office unconscious from the savage beating. The civilian council had tried to justify the reason for the beating but with Hiruzen's argument of, if he could do it to Naruto, he could do it to any student, plus the clan heads backing, the man's fate was sealed. He had been surprised that day that the Haruno woman had voted in his favor, as she normally voted along with the rest of the civilians, but he put it down to maternal instincts and the fact that her daughter had started the academy that day as well.

Not getting a reply Naruto continued, "I decided the day I was going to become a shinobi that I'd take things seriously. So I started training my body. It was difficult the shops sold me everything at exaggerated prices so I had to make do with what I could get. Old equipment or nearly spoiled or rotten food was a regular occurrence. Ichiraku's was the only place that served me warm food. Everything else was out of a can or heated in a microwave." he said before he gestured to his clothes. "You think I wear this orange monstrosity by choice? I pulled it and three others out of a dumpster, probably old stock that a shop couldn't sell, so I could hide my physical progress. I didn't want anyone asking questions."

Hiruzen frowned even deeper as he was informed of all of the mistreatment that had been going on under his very nose. Obviously things were worse than he had realised. "I see. Well I can honestly say that I approve of your resourcefulness Naruto, and I can only apologise for not having seen this happening, but why didn't you come to me with these problems and let me help?"

Naruto frowned, "Because it would have done little good. I reported it once and they just found new ways to get to me. You got rid of the headmaster of the academy so they realised beating me was no good. So next I was forced out of lessons for stupid reasons. It's never ending, so I made do with what I have and improve by myself. It's what I've always done."

Hiruzen sighed and nodded sadly knowing Naruto was right. That was what the civilians had always done from the start. He had banned them from talking about Naruto's status, so they urged their children to stay away from him for other reasons. The shops refused to sell to him, and when he intervened they sold Naruto faulty or spoiled goods. When they beat Naruto he had ANBU guard him, so they waited 'till they got their chance. It was a never ending cycle of one disgusting tactic after another, and Hiruzen was sick of it. This last explanation just solidified Hiruzen's opinion that now was when the truth had to come out and he would help Naruto to get whatever form of justice for the suffering he's received from this village.

"Naruto. Please take a seat, there are important matters that need to be discussed here and now that I should have told you a long time ago." Hiruzen said with a determined and hardened look in his eye as he lifted the writing mat on top of his desk to reveal a storage seal array underneath it. He then opened it with a small puff of smoke revealing a small wooden box.

With a nod Naruto sat down, while Anko shuffled on her feet feeling this really wasn't the place for her at that moment, Hiruzen looked to her "Anko, Neko you may stay if Naruto permits it, but Neko I ask you to remove your mask. If you do so, neither of you are to reveal anything that is said in this room after this. These secrets are Naruto's and so it is up to him who are allowed to know if you are allowed to hear them."

Naruto nodded, "They can stay. I owe them for earlier. They've earned it"

Anko nodded as she moved to Naruto's left and Neko did the same as she removed her mask revealing her face.

Anko smirked, "Oh there you are Yūgao-nee!" she snarked getting a playful smack to the back of the head from a smirking Yūgao.

Hiruzen cleared his throat, "Very well. Now the first thing that I will be telling you about are who your parents are." Seeing the look of shock on Naruto's face Hiruzen explained, "Their identities were kept secret from you and everyone else because when they were alive they had many enemies and had it been discovered you were their child you would have been targeted for assassination. Many from outside the village as well as some from inside. This was my decision to deny you your lineage and I'm sorry to say that it has backfired greatly, which is why I am telling you now. Both of your parents were my friends and it saddens me to see how this village, the very one they gave their lives to defeat the Kyūbi for, has failed them and their son." Hiruzen said as he opened the box by the top lid and took out two average-sized scrolls, one with red rims and the other with yellow, "Your Kaa-san was called Kushina Uzumaki, whose last name you took due to her being the last of her clan. The Uzumakis were a powerful clan that were destroyed in the last shinobi war in the fall of Uzu (Uzushiogakure, village hidden in the whirlpools), they were Konoha's greatest allies during the first and second shinobi world wars. Sadly though towards the end of the second in a combined attack from the Iwa (Iwagakure, village hidden in the stone) and Kumo (Kumogakure, village hidden in the clouds) they were wiped out. Your Kaa-san was the sole survivor and heiress to the clan. When word came of the imminent attack she was sent to safety by her Tou-san, Mamoru Uzumaki, and with her was a scroll containing the clan's teachings and traditions so that the Uzumaki Clan might live on."

Hiruzen handed Naruto the red scroll, "In there is a letter from Kushina as well as your inheritance as the heir to Uzumaki and Uzushiogakure"

Naruto took the scroll and looked at it a moment looking to be deep in thought as Hiruzen continued.

"Your Kaa-san was one of the most headstrong, impulsive, eccentric, and stubborn girls you would ever meet. She was fun loving and was always playing pranks on anyone who made fun of her bright red hair. Ironic, as her hair was part of the reason she was so memorable in the third shinobi world war. She was a master of her clan's formidable Fūinjutsu, which she employed with her chakra chains and clan Kenjutsu style in battle and gained her the title of the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero. I still remember the day she and your Tou-san found out she was pregnant with you, they were both excited and couldn't wait to be parents and to watch you grow up," Hiruzen said with a sad smile, "but sadly it wasn't meant to be."

Naruto gripped the scroll hard as he fought back tears, "S-So they did love me...I always wondered if they did or not, if that was the reason they gave me up, but seeing as they're both dead I can understand."

Hiruzen nodded, "That you can be sure of Naruto-Kun. I had never seen two people more excited to be parents than yours." He said before clearing his throat, "Now Naruto, before I tell you about your Tou-san, there are some things you should be aware of, firstly, should you wish to take his name you will have to wait until you graduate from the academy, this isn't an order more of a request, should you take on your Tou-san's name there will be those who will see it as an insult to his memory, suddenly claiming yourself as his son, and it would be better if you were a shinobi so I can easily assist you should that happen." Naruto nodded in agreement, "okay then, Your Tou-san's name was Minato Namikaze, but you would know him better as the…"

"Yondaime," Naruto said in shock, "…I'm the son of the fourth Hokage!" Naruto was speechless at that very moment not sure how to handle this. He was the son of the village hero, the man who died defeating the Kyūbi no Yōko, and who practically single handily ended the third shinobi war with his version of the Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique), a technique that he had based off the Nidaime Hokage's. He was a master of the art of Fūinjutsu( Sealing Techniques), one of the only recorded students of the legendary Sannin Jiraiya, who had himself been a student of the Sandaime Hokage. But if that was the case there was only one thing that he couldn't grasp, "Why?"

The three occupants of the room looked at him in confusion, "Why what, Naruto?" asked Hiruzen seeing him clench his fists.

"Why, if I'm the son of the Fourth, am I treated like the scum of the earth? Why am I treated like this, beaten on a weekly basis? I was treated like an outcast at the orphanage. I had to survive on the streets for two weeks eating garbage, sleeping in a cardboard box, and trying not to lose my fingertips to rats. If I'm the son of the Fourth why am I treated like I'm a plague? Why do I get glared at like I'm a fucking murderer!?" Naruto started as his voice rose into a yell as tears started to flow down his cheeks.

Anko looked at the boy younger than her. She hadn't known about the boy's life before and she was shocked hearing it. She couldn't even comprehend what he had done to deserve this treatment, and being the Yondaime's son means he should have been living in the lap of luxury. Not to mention if his Kaa-san was some clan head then he should be loaded and yet said he ate rotten food, if any, and was dressed in clothing that looked like it should be burned to stop the spread of disease.

She had known hell, her parents had died when she was three so she was an orphan too, but she had been taken in by the Sannin, Orochimaru when she was six. He had seen potential in her and had taken her as his student and even let her sign the Hebi contract at the age of eight. Of course, things had all went sideways a year later when it was discovered he was a traitor and was kidnapping shinobi and civilians for inhumane experiments. She hadn't known this when she left the village with him willingly. She had apparently followed him for two years but she couldn't remember anything that happened, the bastard had taken all of her memories of those two years. She had been found in rags in a small cell in one of the snake's abandoned bases when it had been raided by an ANBU team in search for the traitor. The other ANBU had wanted to just kill her, calling her a traitor. It was only because Yūgao was the leader of the squad at the time that her life was spared. Upon returning to the village she'd discovered that the bastard had marked her with some kind of seal on her neck that caused her pain any time she thought about him for extended periods of time. They had tried to remove it but nothing they did worked and so she was left with the mark as a constant reminder of her traitorous sensei all these years.

After her return to the village she was cleared of all involvement with the traitor, but it didn't matter. In everyone's eyes she was nothing more than his pupil and a traitor to Konoha, and the mark on her neck proving her connection and loyalty to the traitor. So, being shunned, glared at and treated like crap she knew all too well. Of course, she at least had Yūgao to come home to in the apartment they shared. Naruto didn't have someone like that. While it looked like he and the Hokage had something like a grandfather-grandson relationship, he couldn't be there for Naruto like Yūgao was for her, so he was almost completely alone.

Hiruzen sighed deeply as he set the yellow scroll down before taking up his pipe as he leaned back in his chair, "Because the village is full of idiots and bastards who can't tell the difference between a cage and its contents. A village that is full of resentment over the past and stupidly directs its hatred at someone who had no control over or say in what happened to them and had barely been born when the whole thing happened." Hiruzen spoke as he slowly exhaled the smoke, his voice tainted with the Sakki (killing intent) he was failing to suppress in his anger.

At the mention of this Yūgao's fist clenched behind her back, while Anko and Naruto both looked confused. None of what was being said was making any sense to them.

"Jiji, what are you talking about? What cage?" Naruto asked as he leant back in his chair.

Hiruzen took another mouthful of smoke before setting his pipe down, "Naruto, what is your Tou-san best known for?"

Naruto blinked, "For killing the Kyūbi no Yōko during the… wait, if both my parents died the night of the… but I was born on… then how could they be... but how?" Naruto asked as he tried to fit some of the pieces together but couldn't. If he was born the night the Kyūbi no Yōko attacked the village how was it possible that both his parents were out fighting the Kyūbi when his Kaa-san was meant to be giving birth to him.

Hiruzen nodded, "So you can see the dilemma in the facts. It's confusing to those who aren't aware of the true facts about that night. And even now most don't know what actually happened, but I'll start from the beginning. Many believe that the night the Kyūbi no Yōko attacked the village it just appeared out of nowhere and started attacking. No one knew where it had come from, but in truth, the Kyūbi had been inside the village the whole time for many years prior to the attack. Back when the two founders of this village fought, the Shodai Hokage, Hashirama Senju, helped seal the beast away inside of his wife in order to prevent Madara Uchiha from utilising its power in their fight. Her name was Mito Uzumaki, your grand aunt. Mito-sama was sister to Mamoru Uzumaki, and the marriage between her and Hashirama Senju bonded the two estranged cousin clans and our villages. And it was because of her that we learned the fact that only an Uzumaki has the power to contain the Kyūbi no Yōko's might. Because only their abnormally large chakra supplies and networks, that even as children dwarf kages, even my own, can adjust to the power of the Kyūbi without bursting. When Mito was dying there was only one other she could turn to and ask to take on her burden after she was gone, the only other Uzumaki left in the village at the time, your Kaa-san. Kushina became the second Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi. But there was a problem later down the line, there are certain times when the seal holding the Kyūbi weakens and at times like this the risk of the Kyūbi getting out are heightened, one such time is during childbirth. The night you were born your Tou-san and Kaa-san had secreted themselves away inside a hidden bunker for your birth. Your father was there to reinforce the seal to keep the Kyūbi suppressed so that it didn't get out, however something happened. Either your Tou-san failed to keep the Kyūbi suppressed or something else happened, we do not know. We only know that the night of your birth the Kyūbi no Yōko was released and attacked the village. However in the hours that followed your Kaa-san and Tou-san took to fighting the Kyūbi in order to protect the village but given what the Kyūbi is, being a large mass of chakra in physical form, there was only one way to stop it permanently. And with your Kaa-san still weak from giving birth to you and having the Kyūbi escape, that left them only one option to take, they had to seal the Kyūbi away inside of…"

"Inside of me," Naruto spoke as he realised what Hiruzen was leading towards, "the Kyūbi no Yōko, the demon that killed a third of the village is sealed inside of me," Naruto said aloud in realisation, "Now it all makes sense, the villagers, they see me as the one who killed their loved ones, who burned their homes and attacked their village they…. They….. they're fucking idiots!" Naruto finished as he stood up in anger, "How fucking stupid are they? I wasn't even one day old and they think I fucking did all that? What the fuck is wrong with them? We learn about sealing scrolls in the academy in the second year, or at least I would have if I hadn't been thrown out of the lesson and had to learn about it myself, and even I know the difference between the kunai and the scroll it's sealed inside! Those complete fucktards! That's it! The gloves are off! The next time those bastards come at me I'm going for the throat! They're fucking dead! They want to come at me let em! I'll kill the lot of them!"

The outburst made both Anko and Yugao take a step back while Hiruzen sighed, "Naruto I can understand your anger, and to be frank I feel the same way, but I must ask that you not act irrationally. Should you kill, even in self-defence, it will only justify their opinions in their eyes and forever mark you as a demon to them!"

Naruto's fists clenched, "Let them think of me as a demon then, they already do without any proof! I'll make them realise they don't fuck with me! Maybe after the first three bodies drop they'll get the fucking memo, "Don't fuck with an Uzumaki!", They want a fucking demon? I'll give them one!"

At that statement Hiruzen scowled before a flash of his Sakki silencing Naruto who stopped mid-rant feeling the pressure the elderly Hokage was releasing, "Naruto, please listen to me. I understand your anger, I understand that you've been hurt and feel betrayed, but acting out isn't going to do anyone any good. Should you kill people in self-defence people will see you as a demon, and the civilian council will throw a fit and demand you be executed for murder, and as you're still a civilian they have the pull to make it happen, if you act out now you will most certainly be executed within a month and I will have no way to protect you."

Naruto's fists remained clenched as he listened to his grandfather figure trying to explain things to him.

Seeing Naruto calm down Hiruzen continued, "I want to help you to get your revenge on those who have wronged you, but in order for me to do that you have to be a shinobi and you have to be seen doing it like all the others your age and graduated from the academy in six years. I have a plan for how we can do this but it will be slow and is all about the preparation. You will have your revenge Naruto, I promise you that. All you have to do is be patient."

Naruto nodded, "Alright Jiji, I'll follow your lead, although I don't like it. I understand that your points I can't let my anger get the better of me, but I can already see a flaw in your plan." Seeing Hiruzen raise an eyebrow he explained, "The teachers at the academy, even if they follow your orders, they'll still try to sabotage me any chance they get. And I wouldn't put it past one of them to mess with my exam results so I don't become a shinobi."

Hiruzen nodded, "I see your point, but I already have a reserve plan for that," he said before he reached into his drawer and tossed two things at Naruto, one was a Konoha Hitai-ate with a black cloth and the other was an all-white porcelain mask with the kanji for fire on its forehead, "as Hokage it is my prerogative to choose who I see fit to become a member of ANBU," Hiruzen explained getting three shocked expressions from those in front of him, "Your code name will be Kitsune. This will place you into the shinobi ranks and my protection, your position, however, is temporary and contingent on you continuing with your academy training. This will grant you the privileges of any other ANBU, such as access to training grounds and the ANBU Library and Jutsus. I am also assigning Neko as your private instructor outside of the academy. She will cover any materials not taught to you by the academy, and will also supervise your training to make sure you are ready by the time you leave the academy."

Naruto looked to Yūgao and she to him as they nodded to each other before Naruto looked to Hiruzen again, "Does this mean I will be able to go on missions and start my shinobi career early, Jiji?" he asked with a smirk.

Hiruzen paused for a moment in thought before nodding, "I see no reason why not, although I will be leaving the decision of when up to Yūgao, as your sensei she will decide when you are ready for missions and I will be picking each one personally, to test your skills."

At this Yūgao spoke up, "Hokage-Sama, might I make a request?" she asked as Hiruzen looked to her and nodded, "Over her years at the academy Anko has suffered the same kind of neglect from the teachers, not to the same extent, but enough that I've had to step in and aid in her lessons outside of the academy. My request is that she be allowed to join Naruto in his training with me so that she could be taught what is denied her as well."

Naruto looked to Anko upon hearing this with some shock in his eyes as a thought went through his head, _'her too?'_

Hiruzen looked to Anko, "Is this true Anko, are the teachers at the academy being unfair to you as well?" he asked with some anger in his tone towards the academy instructors.

Anko nodded, "Yeah, I get thrown out of classes like him, not a lot but enough, and I had a run in with the former headmaster back when I first started but my summons scared him away and he didn't try again after Yūgao-nee and him had a little 'chat' after I told her about it."

Hiruzen sighed as he rubbed his head, his faith in this village falling more and more at each word, "Very well, I see no reason not to allow it, however, it's up to Naruto as well. This was for his benefit to begin with."

Naruto nodded, "She can join, I don't know why she's treated as I was, but I don't honestly care, whatever the reason they had for it doesn't justify their actions."

Anko smiled as Naruto spoke her respect for the blond going even higher as he did so, "Thanks" she said with a smile, "You mind me joining you the next time you get cornered by those idiots? I'll give ya a hand to kick their asses and we'll see how they like it when we tag team them and make it hurt!"

Naruto smirked at her, "Sure, I don't mind. The more the merrier!"

Hiruzen cleared his throat in a nervous fashion, "Yes, well, hopefully that won't be happening anytime soon, now back to what I was saying before," he said as he slid the yellow scroll over to Naruto, "That scroll was from your Tou-san, in it is a letter from him as well as the workings of his two famous Jutsu, the Hiraishin and the Rasengan. Both are your birthright as his son however if you manage to learn them I ask that you not use them in public, at least until you have graduated the academy so that I will be able to back you up in front of the council."

Naruto took the scroll and nodded, "Thanks, Jiji, I'll do that. I want to learn everything I can as fast as I can, cause the sooner I'm out of the academy I want to make those bastards pay as soon as possible."

Hiruzen nodded, "That's good, now, seeing as your old home's location is well-known, I believe it best if you moved so that you aren't as easily targeted anymore."

Yūgao spoke up at this, "Hokage-Sama, there is an apartment available next door from the one that Anko and I share, it would be beneficial to have him live there for his training as well, it's the perfect size for a boy his age."

Hiruzen nodded, "I see. Yes, that would be beneficial, and that complex is utilized by primarily Jōnin and ANBU. Anyone foolish enough to attack there would be _truly_ stupid. Yes, that will do nicely!" he said as he reached into the box and took out a small book, "Now Naruto, you also have an inheritance that your parents left you. Sadly their house was destroyed in the Kyūbi attack, but with your Tou-san and Kaa-san being masters of Fūinjutsu, they had a backup plan. If the house was destroyed, all objects in the house marked with a seal were transferred into a sealing scroll in this office. They also gave me control over both the Namikaze and Uzumaki banking accounts should anything happen to them. I've been using some of that money to support you anytime you asked for an advance or increase, due to other matters not making it possible. But that hasn't even made a dent seeing as the Uzumaki were, to be blunt, filthy rich from selling their seals. And as per the arrangement in your parent's will, five percent of the funds are available to you until you're a Genin. After which the rest will be available to you, however, let me assure you that five percent is more than enough for you to live off of 'till you graduate, and live extremely comfortably at that." he said as he opened the book revealing it to be a small accounting book as he turned it to the last entry and pushed it to Naruto whose eyes widened seeing all the zeros.

Hiruzen cleared his throat, "Now, I believe we should go and examine this prospective apartment of yours Naruto, but I believe a new shirt and pants first would be best as yours are barely holding together." Hiruzen said before snapping his finger as an ANBU dropped down with a pair of black ANBU style pants and a black long-sleeved shirt and handed them to Naruto before disappearing into a puff of smoke, "We'll go shopping tomorrow and get you some new equipment and clothing, I believe I know the perfect shop for you to go to, a man who was friends with both your parents runs it, he will treat you fairly."

Naruto nodded as he started to get changed, not minding where he was as he replaced his shirt and pants as he tossed them in the trash and looked himself over, he approved of the shirt, it wasn't big on him in fact it actually hugged him well but not overly well letting him show some of his muscle but not all of it hiding some of the fact he was in better shape than ninety percent of the village.

Anko licked her lips seeing the shirt hug Naruto in all the right places as a thought went through her head, _'damn, what a hunk, looks like I got me some eye candy now!'_

Naruto caught the gesture and smirked, "Enjoying the eye candy?" he asked cockily.

Anko smirked, "Damn right I am"

Naruto rolled his eyes as he attached his mask to his waist and they all walked out of the office to go and see his new apartment.

* * *

 **Scene break**

Walking into the apartment, with Hiruzen, Yūgao and Anko behind him, Naruto nodded as he looked around. The flooring was mahogany and the walls were painted a warm flint grey and was well lit by the hanging chandelier with three bulbs. There was a single large window looking out the back in what Naruto could assume was the living area. Behind that area was a sectioned off kitchen with a work top that went around in a reversed L shape with a fair amount of storage. To the left as he walked in was a small hallway that lead to the master bedroom with the connected bathroom and a small hot press outside it with an already fitted washer and dryer. It was close to twice the size of his last apartment.

Naruto gave an impressed whistle, "Nice! This will be perfect. What's the rent like on a place like this?"

Yūgao smirked, "This place is a bit smaller than the apartment Anko and I live in, it's a two bedroom, and it's rent is only seven thousand Ryo a month. So this place shouldn't be more than four or five thousand a month."

 **(A/N: I am using the conversion rate on the wiki where 1 Ryo is worth 10 Yen, so at that conversion rate the two bedroom apartment is just over £500 PMC, while Naruto's is just under £400 PMC, in case anyone is wondering)**

Naruto whistles again, "Perfect. That's three times cheaper that what I'm currently paying for rent, so I'm already sold."

Hiruzen looked to Naruto troubled, "What do you mean, currently paying? Your rent is covered by my office till you graduate from the academy, and it's only three thousand Ryo a month."

Naruto scowled at that, "Then my former landlord needs to be arrested, he's been charging me fifteen thousand Ryo every month for my stay there."

 **(A/N: doing the math on that the landlord is taking close to £1000 off Naruto every month)**

Hiruzen scowled equally, "Indeed, ANBU!" he called as two ANBU appeared at his door one wearing a Buta (Pig) mask and the other a Ratto (Rat) mask, "Arrest Naruto's former landlord for crimes of tax evasion and cheating the treasury, then take him to Ibiki and inform the scum he is stripped of his citizenship and all his assets are seized and transferred under the name Naruto Uzumaki, mark them as reparations for crimes against the victim."

The pair of ANBU nodded before shunshining away and Hiruzen looked to Naruto with a small smirk, "Congratulations, Naruto, you're now a Landlord!"

Naruto sweat dropped, "Great, I'm the landlord of a rundown building, which I will either have to get condemned or renovate it completely when I get access to my clan accounts after graduating."

Hiruzen chuckled, "I might be able to help you out there Naruto, there are some building legislations in the village that give grants and supply workers to fix up old buildings, you'd only have to sign and register it as a Shinobi or student renting only building for a number of years. I'll bring the paperwork over in the next few days if you'd like and I can have them filed for you."

Naruto nodded as he walked into the bedroom, "Yeah that would be great, thanks, Jiji." he said as he looked around, before walking to the window and took his mask off his waist and put it on the windowsill.

Hiruzen nodded, "Alright then, I believe we should all call it a night." he said before snapping his fingers and another ANBU appeared next to him with a rolled up futon, "You can use this tonight Naruto, I'll have you registered as the new tenant for this apartment before I go. I'll see you tomorrow to get your new furniture and equipment." he said as he turned and walked out.

Yūgao looked to Naruto who was looking out the window a look of thought on his face, "Naruto, Anko and I are right next door if you need anything, don't stay up too late." she said with a small hint of concern for the boy. He nodded showing he heard as Yūgao ushered Anko to the door as she took one last look at the boy and they closed the door behind them as they left.

Hearing the door close a small smile came to Naruto's face as he realised things were going to change for the better now, but there was still a long way to go. After a minute Naruto looked at the two scrolls the Hokage had given him and moved to the bedroom to read them. He looked at the first one with yellow rims and paused for a minute before opening it revealing the two sealing arrays that were numbered. He knew how to open them and placed his hand on the first and channelled his chakra causing it to explode into a puff of smoke and revealed a second scroll labelled Naruto on its front. Taking it and opening it he began to read.

 _"Dear Naruto_

 _If you are reading this then it means that you have been told who your mother and I am. I'm sure that came as a bit of a shock, didn't it, and it also means that you've been told that you hold the Kyūbi no Yōko and that I was the one to seal it inside of you. I wish there was more time to look for another way to do it, I wish we had another option, but as I write this your Kaa-san is lying down with you in her arms and the Kyūbi is being held back from the village by our shinobi. They can't last much longer so I must be brief. Your Kaa-san won't be around to tell you this as the Kyūbi was ripped from her, and it's only her Uzumaki reserves and strong will that is keeping her alive. A Jinchūriki cannot survive without their bijū in them and she won't last much longer. She doesn't want me to seal it in you but there is no one else that can hold the Kyūbi and even if there was, as Hokage I can't ask someone else to give up their child for such a task if I was unwilling to give up mine._

 _The Kyūbi was ripped from your Kaa-san by a man in a cloak and mask with one eye hole. I chased him off but the Kyūbi is still on the rampage. I don't know why he did it, but what's done is done. Though he may return for the Kyūbi in the future so be on alert. I know you will be strong enough to fight off whatever comes at you, you are my son, after all and I believe you can do it._

 _I have told the old monkey you are to take your Kaa-san's name as I know that if you are named my son and the Jinchūriki then your life will be far too dangerous. But if you want to take my name I have made preparations. Sealed at the end of this scroll are blood samples, both mine and your Kaa-san's, along with your birth certificate. The hospital will also have mine and Kushina's blood on record, give them to the old man when or if you want to take on my name, and they will prove you are our son._

 _Also sealed is the remains of your Kaa-sans sword, it was broken in the attack when the man in the mask took you and killed Sarutobi's wife. I didn't tell him this so he could focus on the battle and not go searching for the masked man who is already long gone, so I now leave that to you. Gomen'nasai (sorry)._

 _There should be a blacksmith weapons shop called Shinobi Arms. The owner, Daichi Oshiro, was the only one your Kaa-san allow to even touch her blade apart from herself or me. He was also the one who made my Hiraishin Kunai. Once he sees the sword he will no doubt put the facts together. If you want to learn your Kaa-san's clan's Kenjutsu I'm sure that would make her very happy. Kushina has gathered up all of her clan's scrolls, that she brought with her to Konoha, and has sealed it back inside the original scroll and says that she will seal it with her letter to you. There is too much to cover about the Uzumaki so I will leave that for your Kaa-san to explain._

 _I will also be sealing my two self-made Jutsu, the Hiraishin and the Rasengan. They are yours should you decided to take them up. I'm sure your godfather Jiraiya of the Sannin will be more than happy to help you to learn and master them as I'm sure he'll have done his best to look out for you after we're gone._

 _I have to go now, just know that I will always love you and that I can only hope that you can come to forgive me for putting this burden on you and then leaving you, I know you will make us both proud._

 _With all the love I can give_

 _Your Tou-san Minato Namikaze- Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato"_

Naruto was taking deep breaths by the time he finished the letter, trying to keep his emotions in check as he thought. The letter had stirred up so many of them he didn't know what he was likely to do most at that moment, he wanted to cry, he wanted to hit something, he wanted just to scream out all his pain.

The truth had been laid bare before him, all the suffering in his life was centred on that one night and the man who released the Kyūbi from his Kaa-san's seal, he was the one who set the monster on the village. It was him who was the cause of all of it. He was so angry. Angry at the man for releasing the Kyūbi and starting all of this. Angry at his Tou-san for not stopping the man and then sealing the Kyūbi in him and leaving him, for not finding another way. He had wanted a life without any of this, just a normal life one where he grew up with his Tou-san. He wanted him there to teach him, to help him train, to tuck him in at night, to not go to bed at night hungry and alone. He wanted to know the love of his parents had for him, before it was all taken from him.

After several minutes Naruto exhaled a final breath as he unfurled the second scroll and found two more storage seals, both numbered in the same way, following the same process he unsealed the first seal finding a similar scroll as he did so and opened it taking a final breath to steady his nerves before he started to read again.

 _"Dear Naruto-Kun,_

 _If you are reading this then the worst has come to pass and I and your Tou-san are no longer alive. I want to apologise for that above all, I did not want to leave you. Even though I only got to hold you for a few minutes I will always hold those minutes close to my heart, you look so adorable. I am writing this as your Tou-san holds you. You look so much like him, I can already tell you're going to be a real lady killer when you grow up, just like your Tou-san. I hope you grow up to be a kind, strong and gentle man, my only regret is that I won't be there to see it._

 _There is so much to tell you, but so very little time to tell you in. I wish I was there to tell you about our clan in person and watch you do great things but sadly this is all I can give you. I have sealed everything related to our clan into the Vault Scroll and sealed it with this letter to you. It is locked by a blood seal so it needs your blood to open it. Inside you will find another letter from me explaining everything you will find inside as well as our clan's bloodline. I am running out of time and must go now._

 _There is so much more I want to say so much I want to tell you, so many memories I want to share, so much I want to know. I wonder what your life will be like after we're gone. I wonder who will be your first love, what your favourite food, colour, book, and your first words will be. Oh, Naruto-Kun I don't want to leave you, but I have no choice. The Kyūbi was ripped from me and set on a rampage and the only way to seal it is in an Uzumaki. I can't do it in my weakened state, it would only break free again, so it has to be you. I have pleaded with your Tou-san to find another way but there isn't time. I just hope that the village will see you for the hero you are keeping the Kyūbi at bay. Please forgive me for leaving you Naruto, it is not by my choice, just know that you are loved and will always be loved._

 _All the love in the world_

 _Your Kaa-chan, Kushina Uzumaki"_

Finishing the scroll Naruto let it drop the short distance to the ground as he felt a pain in his chest as his Kaa-san's words echoed over and over again in his head. His body shook as he tried to hold back his tears of pain desperately, but as his eye went to the letter again and he saw the words ' _know that you are loved and will always be loved'_ , the dam burst and he started to sob.

* * *

 **Scene break**

Anko frowned to herself as she walked out of her apartment, a wooden plate in hand with some onigiri (rice balls). She'd made them after she'd remembered that Naruto had said he hadn't eaten in sixteen hours and that he didn't have any food in his new apartment. She was frowning because she had never been a good cook and the onigiri looked half mangled and they were all different shapes and sizes, nothing like how she had seen Yūgao make them for her boyfriend, Hayate.

 _'Damn it, they look like I made them with my feet,'_ Anko berated herself mentally, _'He's probably going to hate them. Why the fuck am I even doing this anyway, I only just met him today'_ she thought to herself as she thought about the blond boy a few years younger than her. He reminded her of herself, and he'd lived like she had, taken the same shit from the civilians even worse that she had, and gave it back just as she did. She couldn't help but feel some kind of connection with him as she approached the door and reached out to knock only to stop when she felt her nerves grip her. _'What the hell is wrong with me, I'm not one of those stupid fangirls. He's just a guy; Only difference between him and me is he's got balls and a dick and I've got tits and a pussy, now woman up and knock on the damn door!'_ she said in her head before finally knocking.

She waited for a response but none came, and her eyebrow twitched, _'What the hell, he couldn't have fallen asleep that quickly,'_ she thought before knocking the door again and stood back to wait. After getting no response again, she let out a low growl, _'what the hell, I make him these and he doesn't even have the balls to come to the damn door. That tears it!'_ she growled in her mind as she stepped up to the door and reached for the handle, opening the door and walking in, using her foot to close it behind her as she did.

She scanned the open floorplan apartment and didn't see the blond and immediately looked to the bedroom door and saw it was half shut. She growled as she walked over to it, "Hey blondy, what gives? You don't open the door when I…" she started to say as she opened the door only for her words to die in her throat as she saw the young blond kneeling on the ground shaking as tears rolled down his cheeks, the scrolls lying open before him. It didn't take a genius to figure out he'd read the letters his parents had left him, and they had hit him hard, in that moment all the anger she had felt had fallen away as she saw the boy crying as a flash from her past appeared in front of her, when she had been found just like that crying her eyes out in that cage. How she had desperately wanted someone, anyone to be there for her, and how she'd felt when Yūgao had comforted her by hugging her and letting her cry out her pain into her shoulder as she held her.

Anko didn't know why she did it, all she knew was he was hurting like she once had and needed someone in the same way. Setting the plate of food down on the ground she walked over to him quickly and knelt down pulling him gently into her embrace.

Naruto didn't know who it was or what was going on at that moment, when he felt someone moving him. Until he felt someone holding him with their arms wrapped gently around him and the soothing warmth comforting him as he heard a gentle whisper to "let it out" that "it's ok", and he did as he cried harder than he had ever done before as the soothing voice continued to whisper to him as he let it out. All the pain and loneliness he'd felt over the years was bearing down on him and he just cried unable to take the weight of it anymore letting out the pain until he couldn't anymore as he exhausted himself letting the bliss of sleep come to him in the arms of whoever it was holding him cradle him to sleep.

* * *

 **Elsewhere in the village**

In a dark room, lit only by a candle on a table in front of a large seat, sat the figure of a frail old man. He had shaggy black hair which hung over the bandages that wrapped around his forehead and over his right eye, with an "X" shaped scar on his chin. He wore a black robe that concealed his right hand, and a white date-eri covering his left side, in his hand was a wooden walking stick which he held in front of him.

Behind him stood two figures both dressed in black robes with their hoods up and both wearing white porcelain masks but with no unique features except for the Kanji for "Ne" on their foreheads.

In a swirl of wind, a third similar figure appeared in front of the sitting man and immediately kneeled holding out a scroll in his left hand towards the seated man.

The figure on the right side of the man walked around and took the scroll before taking it to the seated figure and handing it to him.

The man took the scroll and opened it as his left eye opened and he read over the contents his eye showing some interest after the first few second.

"Hmm, interesting. It would seem that my old friend is making some rather… interesting moves… it would seem that the pieces are being set for the future, but the rest of the board has yet to be set… I wonder just what he is planning and what Uzumaki will intend to do in the future, now that he knows the truth?" the man pondered aloud for a moment before closing the scroll and looking to the figure on his left, "Send word to bunker eleven-twenty one in the ruins, double the guards and keep it for the foreseeable future, we may need it for the coming storm… no, maelstrom would be a more appropriate analogy."

The figure nodded before disappearing into a whirlwind leaving the elderly man to his thought, _'It never hurts to have a contingency for dealing with young upstarts.'_


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, this update has been long overdue, truthfully I haven't been writing at all and have recently fallen victim to the allure of online roleplaying, as well as a new series of audiobooks that have me constantly hooked, I'll try to get more chapters put out shortly, but I'm not making any promises, sorry for the wait.**

 **Chapter 2- preparing for the future**

The next morning saw the sun pouring in through the window, and the light starting to creep onto the blond boy who was sleeping quite peacefully. He tried to turn his head to get away from the light but as he did so, a gentle and pleasant moan came from above his head, and his blue eyes snapped open in surprise as he tried to look and see where he was and where that sound came from.

Seeing the walls and window he realised he was in his new apartment that Hiruzen, Yūgao and Anko had taken him to get the night before. He remembered reading his parents' letters to him, and then his emotions getting the better of him… and then a gentle embrace, but from who?… Slowly he looked up to see what he was lying on and his eyes widened seeing the purple hair and the sleeping face of Anko. His mind quickly worked out where his head was, on top of her still budding chest, and at that moment he blinked before doing the smart thing and gently moving away, doing his best not to wake her up, as he sat up and started to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

Looking at the scrolls on the ground he could see his parent's letters were still out. He moved quietly and closed them and put them to the side for safe keeping. He then noticed the wooden plate and the onigiri on it, still fresh from being wrapped in plastic. He blinked seeing it and then looked back to the still sleeping form of Anko.

 _'She brought me food last night and held me while I was crying… but why did she do that?'_ he thought, confused by her actions, before shaking himself out of his daze. As he stood up he brought the onigiri over and set it down on the ground beside the scrolls before moving to Anko and putting his hand on her shoulder and giving her a small shake. "Hey it's morning, wake up." he said as he started to shake her awake.

Her eye's opened slowly, her light brown eyes meeting his cerulean blue, and she blinked seeing them as her thoughts seemed to catch up to her. A light blush came to her cheeks before she sat up and looked around, "Crap I guess I must have fallen asleep" she said realising where she was.

Naruto watched her carefully, "Yeah, I guess so, but what I want to know is why did you come over," he said before gesturing to the food, "And why did you bring me food?"

Anko flinched slightly at his tone, "I remembered you say yesterday you hadn't eaten all day, so I thought you'd be hungry so I brought them over. Sorry but they're a little messed up, it was my first time making them for someone." she said as she glanced at the poorly made food.

Naruto blinked hearing her and was about to respond when his stomach grumbled in a demanding way and he winced, as it hurt. "Well, food's food" he said as he moved to sit down and took the plastic off the top and lifted on for the larger ones before taking a bite and starting to eat and smirked at the taste, "I don't see what you're complaining about, they're actually pretty good!"

Anko blushed at the praise, before frowning, "Yeah, but they look like I made them with my feet." she sighed.

Naruto smirked at the comment before lifting the plate and holding it over to her. She glanced at it and then to him before he explained, "Come on I don't like eating alone, try them for yourself and see." he said, still holding the plate.

She hesitantly took one and took a bite, not trusting her own cooking, expecting it to be too salty before she blinked; He was right, it _was_ good.

Naruto smirked seeing her face, "Told ya so!" he grinned before taking another bite.

Anko rolled her eyes at the comment as the two of them continued to eat the Onigiri and sat in relative silence until the end.

As Naruto finished his last one, he leant back on his hands and sighed, "So, why did you do it, Hm?" he asked openly.

Anko blinked in confusion at the question, "Do what?" she asked not sure what he meant.

"Last night, you came in after I had read my parents letters. Why did you hold me while I was crying? We had only just met each other last night, and yet you saved me from those villagers, then you bring me food and end up holding me when I let my emotions get the better of me. Those aren't the kind of things you normally do for someone you just met on the streets." Naruto stated bluntly.

Anko frowned as she heard him, "I'm not really sure, I was just trying to help. I mean when I came in last night I didn't know what I was going to find. I was sure you hadn't gone to sleep that quickly and I thought you'd be hungry so I brought you some food, but when I saw you crying, you just reminded me of…" she stopped talking not sure if she should say any more.

Naruto glanced at her, "Reminded you of what?" he asked looking at her with curiosity.

Anko's fists clenched, "…Of myself, three years ago, crying like that. I remembered feeling exactly like that, and I knew what it was I desperately wanted, and seeing you like that brought it all back to me. I don't know why but I just acted to try and help." she said looking down. "I guess I just feel a connection to you. We're the same, both treated like crap by the villagers for something neither of us can control or had any say in."

Naruto's eyebrow went up at that statement. "What do you mean by that? I know my problem, but you? I know you've had some similar problems but what's the reason?" he asked but quickly realised it was a bad question when she physically recoiled at it and it didn't look like she was going to answer right away. She stayed quiet for several minutes as the two sat in awkward silence before she finally spoke.

"I…I'm viewed as a traitor to this village because of who I studied under before I went to the academy. My parents both died when I was young, I had no one, and when my sensei came along and took me under his wing I thought he was sent by Kami herself. He took me in and trained me, said he saw potential in me, but it was all just a lie." Anko said in a pained voice, "When I was eight it was discovered he'd been kidnapping civilians and shinobi from inside the village and experimenting on them. He was using them to create several Jutsu of the foulest kind, but he escaped the Sandaime when his lab was discovered and came to get me. I didn't know what was going on at the time and he said it was a spontaneous training trip. I was such a fool. For two years I supposedly travelled with him, unaware of what had actually happened. When I was finally found by ANBU raiding the laboratory I was in I thought I was still eight years old and we'd just left the village a few days ago, but in reality three years had passed. I couldn't remember anything and the ANBU team that found me thought I was a traitor and most of them wanted to just torture me for information before killing me right there. If it wasn't for Yūgao-nee stopping them, I'd have died that night." she said shivering at the thought, "When I was brought back to the village I finally found out what was going on, and it was revealed what he had done to me." she said as she reached to her neck, "The bastard put a Cursed Seal on me, used me like a lab rat to test his seal. It messes with my chakra supply and causes me pain anytime I think about him for too long, a constant reminder of my mistakes and him. And even after all these years I'm still treated like I'm his student, the student of a traitor who killed and tortured so many civilians and shinobi of this village, forever the outcast."

Naruto frowned hearing her story and observed her carefully. He couldn't see any lie from her, and the way that she acted made him want to believe her. If she was telling the truth then she was like him, outcast in the village because of the hateful villagers. She knew his pain just like he knew hers. Both shunned for something they couldn't control and wasn't their fault. He looked down and nodded, "Thank you." he spoke softly.

Anko looked at him confused, "Thanks for what exactly?"

Naruto smiled, "Everything, for last night, for holding me when I was crying, for the food, for saving my ass from those idiots. Hell, thanks for not freaking out when you heard about what's sealed in me! And thanks for telling me about your past, I know it must have been painful to talk about."

Anko smiled slightly, she didn't know why but she just found him easy to talk to. She knew she wouldn't have normally have just opened herself up to anyone line that but he was… different. She didn't know why but she felt as if she could trust him. "You're welcome" she said as she smiled back.

Naruto smiled seeing her smile, but then he remembered something and his eyes widened as he quickly sat up and looked at the scroll his Kaa-chan has left him, "Shit that's right I've got to look through that!" he said as he pulled the scroll closer to him.

Anko blinked seeing the sudden attention shift as he reached for the scroll, "Um, look through what?" she asked as he unsealed the second seal on the scroll. It poofed on being unsealed and suddenly there was a very large scroll sitting in front of Naruto. It was at least five times the size of the one it came out of and was bound with a crimson sash with a golden seal.

Remembering what his Kaa-chan's letter had said he bit his thumb and smeared the blood over the seal, "My Kaa-chan's clan scroll, her letter said I had a bloodline that I have to unlock." he explained as the seal glowed a minute before it opened and the sash was sucked into it and it fell to the ground.

Anko blinked as she saw the seal open and heard his words. "You've got a bloodline, cool which one?" she asked as she watched him unroll the scroll.

"Not sure," Naruto said as he came to the first seal inside and opened it. Out popped a scroll that looked the same as the one his Kaa-chan's letter was in, "But this should tell me more and how to unlock it," he said before he unfurled it and started reading.

 _"Dear Naruto-Kun,_

 _Inside this vault scroll you will find everything related to the Uzumaki clan of Uzushiogakure, our clan. Sadly it was destroyed many years ago and our family, the few of us that were left, were scattered to the winds. But our clan lives on in you and inside this scroll is your heritage, everything that was and will ever be Uzumaki, from our Taijutsu and many weapon styles to our extensive Fūinjutsu lessons and arrays. An entire library of Jutsu and clan history is at your disposal to learn and to help you become strong. And last, but certainly not least, our lessons on our clan abilities and bloodline._

 _Uzumaki's have always been stronger and more stubborn than the average shinobi. We've been tougher to kill and have always been resilient, with long life spans that most would say is near impossible for a shinobi. Many of us lived well into our old ages and were still as strong as a thirty-year-old in their prime. On top of this we have extremely large chakra reserves! Even our children will have chakra supplies that dwarf most Kage's reserves in their prime. But the one thing that makes us stand out most, aside from our red hair, blame your Tou-san for being blond, is our bloodline. Along with our large, and dense, chakra supplies comes our very advanced form of chakra moulding. This enables our ability to create actual solid physical forms such as weapons and defences out of chakra. I was known for my chakra chains but that was only my preference. There's a reason why the Uzumaki have so many weapon styles, and it's because many Uzumaki were weapon mistresses and masters. They chose to create weapons out of their chakra and interlaced them with Fūinjutsu to use in combat, alongside our clan Jutsu, which made us even stronger in combat. This was the reason we Uzumaki's were feared as one of the oldest and strongest clans._

 _Now that you know of your heritage you only need follow the lessons inside the vault scroll and unlock your bloodline. The process is simple and easy to do with a little practice. I wish you luck Naruto-Kun, and I hope that you use the contents of this scroll to become strong and protect both yourself and those you hold dear, as the most important thing in an Uzumaki's life is family and friends. Good luck my sweet child._

 _All my love,_

 _Kushina Uzumaki"_

After he finished reading the first scroll he quickly looks in the vault scroll and opens the second seal, listed as bloodline, and the relevant scroll poofed out of it. He quickly read through it as he saw the step by step instructions on how to sit, how to channel his chakra and how to picture the form of what he wanted to create and command his chakra to take that shape. Seeing that the scroll recommended a Kunai for the first attempt he chose that. As he lay the scroll out flat in front of him and put his hands a good foot apart from each other, he closed his eyes and pictured a kunai in his mind.

Anko sat and watched as Naruto took his position holding his hands out. She hadn't read the scroll deciding it would have been rude to read over his shoulder, and seeing that it was addressed to him was glad she hadn't. She guessed it was from one of his parents, his Kaa-san judging from the handwriting, which made sense as it was her clan and her bloodline he was trying to awaken as well.

Sitting there, not saying anything, and waiting for something to happen she couldn't help but think about the blond. They were both so similar and she still couldn't understand why she acted like she did around him. Sure, she knew that she felt _something_ for him, but she didn't know what. They had both had crappy lives, him more so than her, but there was something that drew her to him. A familiar warmth that told her she could trust him, she felt safe with him. _'Oh great, next thing you know I'm going to be like one of those first years, fawning over that the last great Duckbutt kid, a fucking fangirl. Not a chance in hell!'_ she mentally shivered thinking about the girls that she's seen a few times. They repulsed her, the platinum blond cunt and the bubble gum bitch looked like they were freaking anorexic, both were as flat as a board and looked like they could start a fire by rubbing their legs together. They probably never trained and don't know more than the academy Jutsu. Between becoming one of them and death, she would sooner shove a Kunai in her eye before she allowed herself to become like them.

Sitting and waiting while she watched the blond meditate in his stance for a few more moments as nothing happened, but then a change caught her eye as something slowly started to happen. It was small at first, but it slowly grew. A thin layer of blue chakra covered both his hands, before reaching out to each other, and slowly but surely connecting. Anko felt her eyes widen seeing the visible chakra move and change as a form took shape and the exterior chakra faded into the forming shape. After another minute the unmistakable form of a kunai was able to be seen as slowly the features etched onto it, although it still looked like it was made of a glowing blue glass.

Naruto's eyes opened as it finished forming and he smiled excitedly seeing the kunai hovering between his hands, before gripping its handle with his right hand and smirked feeling it in his grip, it was solid and weighted perfectly.

He brought it closer to inspect it, all the time keeping his focus on maintaining the shape and form, and he ran his finger over the flat of the blade feeling the smoothness of the object. He flinched when he accidently pricked his finger on the tip as he tested it's sharpness and smirked, "Razor sharp, just how I thought about it."

Anko gulped, "Holy shit, that looks freak 'n awesome," she said as she moved closer for a better look, "So you can make weapons and stuff out of your chakra, talk about a useful bloodline."

Naruto nodded as he tilted the kunai in his hand before taking a deep breath as he let his concentration go as the blade slowly turned back into chakra and entered back into him. "Perfect" he said with a smirk, before remembering what his Kaa-chan's second letter had said of how the weapons were even more powerful when combined with Fūinjutsu, he went to open the scroll further and found the combat Fūinjutsu section and smirked opening it but as he did the scroll that came out had a note attached to it and he smirked reading it.

 _"Not yet Naruto-Kun,_

 _Knowing you will be like me, you'll be anxious to get to the good stuff, but all good things come to those who wait, especially in Fūinjutsu. You need to learn the basics and have a good grasp on them before you can even attempt to learn what's in here. So no cheating and going right for the good stuff, it's dangerous to jump to far ahead. I don't want to see you up here before your time, when your good and old. Now get to learning the basics, I'm sure the Old Monkey Sarutobi will be happy to help you learn._

 _Have fun,_

 _Kaa-chan"_

Naruto smirked, _'That just makes me want to learn it more, but I guess I can wait a bit longer and ask Jiji for lesson. Even though I really want to learn this stuff now.'_ he thought as he sealed the scroll away again.

As he did so the bedroom door opened and Yūgao stuck her head in spotting both Anko and Naruto. "So this is where you've been. When I saw your bed wasn't slept in I was worried" she said looking at Anko.

Anko rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "Yeah sorry about that Yūgao-nee, I brought Naruto-Kun some food last night and ended up falling sleep here before I could get back."

Yūgao blinked before smirking catching something in her sentence and chuckled, "Oh, so it's Naruto-Kun~ now is it~" she smirked, "What, exactly, were you two doing last night that you're comfortable enough to call him that I wonder?~" she teased.

Anko's cheeks flushed at her adoptive sister's comment before waving her hands, "Nothing at all get your mind out of the gutter, Kami, he's cute but…" she said before slapping her hand over her mouth realising what she'd just said.

Both Naruto and Yūgao blinked hearing the confession and as Yūgao started to giggle Naruto smirked, "Oh so you think I'm cute do you, eh Anko-Chan?~" he teased as he leant over to her, "Well that's good, cause I think you are too~" he teased making the snake charmer blush more.

Yūgao giggled seeing her little adoptive sister blush more and more under Naruto's teasing and knew that they'd have loads of fun with this some other time. "Ok I think that's enough teasing her now Naruto, so what are you two up to in here anyway?" she asked seeing both the open scrolls and the vault scroll open.

Naruto smirked as he sat straight again, "I was reading up on my family and…" he said holding his hands out as his chakra gathered faster than before as the same kunai took shape before he took hold of it, "Awakening my bloodline" he said showing the Kunai.

Yūgao whistled, impressed. "Very cool, so your Kaa-san's chakra chains, they were actually a bloodline, any indication what it's called?"

Naruto nodded as he pointed back to the scroll he was reading, "It says here the bloodline is called _Chakurafōji_ (Chakra forge), we can make any weapon out of our chakra with practice and training."

Anko looked at the scroll as well, "So you'll get faster at making them over time, now that I think about it, you did make that kunai a lot faster than your last one, so if you keep practising you'll be able to make them on the go"

Yūgao brought her hand to her chin, "That sounds like a very useful bloodline, you're basically your own walking armoury, all the tools you'll ever need you'll be able to make with practice, talk about a weapon master's dream bloodline."

Naruto blinked as Yūgao said that, "Weapon master… oh yeah, that's right, Kaa-chan's sword!" he said before letting go of the Kunai as it broke apart and the chakra returned to him, before looking to the second seal in his Tou-san's scroll and opening it revealing three bound scrolls, two other bound scrolls and a sheathed O-katana.

It's sheath was in two parts, the Saya (scabbard) lower half was made of a crimson stained wood that ran two-thirds of the sheath, while the top third, Sageo (core) was a black wood, with a crimson sash wrapped around it. Spread evenly down the Saya were three Uzumaki whirlpool crests, the gold Koiguchi (metal rim around the open end of the sheath) had an embossed eastern style dragon flying over crashing waves, the Tsuba (Hand Guard) was made of plated gold and was that of a twisting whirlpool with three inner curves and smooth edges, the Tsuka (handle) was made of a similar black wood as the Sageo (core) of the sheath with a dark crimson Ito (braid) grip knotted around it in the traditional style of an O-katana with a golden Kashira (butt cap) with the Uzumaki crest embossed on it.

Naruto slowly lifted the sword and gripped it's handle and pulled the first part of the blade out letting the first five inches of the blade meet the light as the blade gleams as the light rippled off its uneven temper pattern and send shivers down the spines of all in the room.

Yūgao gulped slightly seeing the blade before speaking, "So that's the sword of the Akai Chishio no Habanero, it's just as chilling as I would have thought it would have been." she said as the light from the room shimmered off the blade.

Naruto nodded as he continued to pull the blade out before frowning as it came to the brake. The top sixth of the blade was missing where it had been cleanly broken, tilting the scabbard the separated six inches of the blade slid out and lay on the ground, "I'll have to take it to be repaired today. I want to follow in my clan's traditions, that includes mastering my Kaa-chan's Kenjutsu style and my clan's Fūinjutsu."

Yūgao nodded in approval, "Well I may not be able to help you with Fūinjutsu, I've never been much for it, but I'd imagine that Hokage-Sama would know a thing or two and can get you started on it. On the other hand Kenjutsu is something of a speciality of mine and I'll be glad to give you lessons when we start your training. Do you have scrolls on the style your wanting to learn?"

Naruto nodded gratefully, "Yeah," he said placing his hand on the vault scroll, "My Kaa-chan mentioned in her letter that all of my clan's knowledge is in here, weapons styles as well."

Yūgao smirked, "It shouldn't be a problem then."

Anko's eyes went to the other scrolls that came out of the seal, "What are those scrolls for Naruto-Kun, they look important?" she asked gesturing to the two groups of scrolls.

Naruto looked to them as well as he returned both parts of the broken sword to its scabbard, "I'd imagine they're my Tou-san's techniques, the Rasengan and the Hiraishin, I'll definitely want to learn them as well, both could be very useful." he said as he looked at them and smiled, "I think I'll start with the Rasengan first before the Hiraishin, if I remember it involves Fūinjutsu of some kind, and I want to ask Jiji if he can give me lessons on it first and get some skill of that before I attempt that technique." Naruto explained.

Yūgao and Anko nodded in agreement before a fourth voice joined the conversation, "Yes I believe that would be most wise Naruto-Kun and lessons can easily be arranged." Hiruzen said as he entered the room with a proud smile having heard the last part of the conversation on arrival.

"Hokage-Sama" Yūgao said as she turned and bowed seeing the Hokage.

Hiruzen waved his hand, "You can leave out the formalities Yūgao-chan, I've simply come to take Naruto shopping for his new furniture, clothing and supplies before we sort out his training schedule." he said with a kind smile before he caught sight of the scroll in front of Naruto and smiled, "Ah, I see, so you've discovered the truth behind your Kaa-san's chakra chains, so that means you'll be wanting to learn Fūinjutsu to make your weapons stronger."

Naruto blinked, "You knew her chains were a bloodline Jiji? Why didn't you mention it?" he asked confused.

Hiruzen smiled, "Because it was a hidden truth in the past, the Uzumaki's passed their chains and weapons off as Kinjutsu to their clan, instead of revealing it was a bloodline. This was due to the fear associated with bloodlines at the time and the clan didn't want the attention. The blood war in Kiri is an example of what they wanted to avoid, and so never revealed the truth. Only a few outside of the clan knew the truth, and it was a good thing they did cause now it will play to your advantage in the coming years."

Naruto crossed his arms, "What do you mean by that Jiji?"

Hiruzen crossed his arms as well, "I assume that when you're older you'll be planning to attempt to restore the Uzumaki clan, the revelation that the Uzumaki's chakra weapons were actually a bloodline will play a big part in convincing the council to accept the Uzumaki clan again, bloodlines mean power and the more power the village has the better protected the village is as a whole." Hiruzen said as his smile grew.

Anko blinked, "But wait a minute, if he does try to restart his clan in Konoha with a bloodline, won't that means the council will put him under the CRA?"

Naruto looked to Anko in confusion, "What's the CRA?" he asked having never heard of it before.

Yūgao sighed, "It stands for the Clan Restoration Act. It basically applies to any clan that has less than three remaining members, where each of the males are required to take on multiple spouses in order to repopulate their clan's numbers, and if there are only women, they are drafted as breeding stock, and required to have four children for the same effect, until the clan numbers reach a 'respectable' level." she finished with disgust in her tone.

Naruto looked shocked, "So, basically, if I restore the Uzumaki clan in Konoha, I'll be forced to take multiple wives to repopulate the clan?"

Hiruzen shook his head, "No. No one will force you to do anything Naruto. If you are placed under the CRA you will be left to choose your wives of your own volition. If you chose not to meet the required number of wives, you'll be obligated to donate your reproductive samples to the Hospital where willing women will have your children, but most opt for choosing their own wives over that option so that they can raise their children themselves."

Naruto nodded, "Yeah I think I would too, growing up without your parents sucks, I wouldn't force that on anyone." he said sadly before sighing, "When do I have to sign up for my clan to be registered in Konoha?" he asked seriously.

Hiruzen chuckled, "Now, now, there's no need to rush such a think Naruto-Kun, there's still plenty of time to do that later. You're still far too young for such things. Until you're finished the academy and become a Shinobi. The CRA won't even come into play until you're seen as an adult by the village, so you still have plenty of time for that, for now just focus on becoming stronger and mastering your bloodline. That will also play a large part in restoring your clan as well."

Naruto nodded, "Alright, thanks Jiji."

Hiruzen smiled, "Well on that note, let's get going. I assume you're going to want to have your Kaa-san's blade repaired. I know just where to take it and you can also get your new shinobi equipment there. I'll have a squad of ANBU dispatched to fully furnish your apartment while we're gone, can't exactly have you sleeping on a futon again tonight can we."

Naruto chuckled, _'I actually think I slept on something much more comfortable than a futon last night.'_

Anko caught the chuckle and smirked, _'time to get even'_ , she thought, "Oh Naruto-Kun what are you thinking about?~" she said in a teasing voice.

Naruto smirked back, "Oh I think you know, Anko-chan~" he teased back with a growing smirk, making her blush.

Hiruzen caught the tones and chuckled, "Oh-ho, so it's Naruto-Kun and Anko-Chan now is it? You two certainly have gotten close fast, I wonder what could have happened~" he chuckled.

Yūgao giggled, "I'd like to know that as well. Anko-chan wasn't in her bed this morning and I came over and found them both in Naruto's room, I wonder what happened~" she joined in the teasing.

Anko blushed at the comments while Naruto smirked, "Now Jiji, Yūgao-san, you should know a gentleman doesn't kiss and tell, and while Anko-chan is very cute, and I wouldn't mind, we're far too young for the likes of that….right now." he grinned, causing Anko to blush more and Hiruzen to chuckle some more nodding while Yūgao giggled.

"Yes, of course, Naruto-kun, we're just teasing." Hiruzen said as he turned and walked out, "We'll wait for you outside while you seal your scrolls away, come on Yūgao lets leave these two in peace." he chuckled while walking out followed by Yūgao who was giggling slightly as she followed.

Naruto started to seal the scrolls and Katana back into their scrolls making sure everything was secure, all the while Anko was sitting in the same spot looking down deep in thought as he worked. When Naruto finished he went to stand up, but Anko reached out and grabbed his hand making him stop and look at her as she spoke.

"Hey, what you said to the old man, did you… did you mean that or were you just saying that to be smart?" she asked her voice unsure of itself as she did.

Naruto frowned before sighing, "I suppose it was a little of both Anko-chan. I was saying it to be smart but at the same time I meant every word of it, why would I not?" he asked glancing at her, "Listen, I may act cold sometimes, but that's just how I am. I'm what this village has made me into, we both are in a way, but I think you've turned out better far better for it than me. I may not know anything about those kinds of relationships, mainly cause I've never been in one before, but I know that I would be lucky to be in one with you."

Anko blushed at the confession and looked down, "Do you… do you really mean that?"

Naruto smiled slightly, "I do. Why would I lie about that? In truth when I first saw you I may not have shown it, mainly due to the circumstances of our meeting, but I was grateful to you for what you did, and I'd have to be blind not to find you attractive."

Anko's blush grew more and more as she tried desperately not to meet his gaze.

Naruto smiled, "So I hope you don't think I'm being too forward here when I ask if you would like to give this relationship of ours a try and maybe see where it leads us."

Looking to him, her eye's now wide in shock, Anko gulped, "S-sure, I wouldn't mind" she said with happiness.

Naruto nodded as he started to stand up again and helped Anko up with him before he picked up the two scrolls from his parents and headed towards the door. He stopped when he felt Anko's hand not moving and looked back to see her hair shading her eyes.

"Naruto-kun, please don't hurt me, I… I haven't trusted anyone like this since…" she said her voice full of fear, "I haven't let anyone close, except Yūgao-nee, because I'm…I'm afraid they'll leave. Please don't do that to me." she said as she looked at him with tears in her eyes.

Naruto frowned at the sight before turning and shocking her by wrapping his arms around her in an embrace, and then shocking her again as he spoke to her gently saying, "I promise Anko-chan, I won't ever leave you, and I promise I will never let anyone hurt you like that again."

Anko's eyes widened at his words. She didn't just hear him, she felt his mutual pain and hurt echo in his tone. The pain that they both knew, that they both had lived with for so long. But it was overcast by the warmth and caring in his tone that promised her that he would never intentionally hurt her in any way to make her suffer like she had. There was something else in those words, a tone in his voice that promised pain to those who tried to hurt her that way. Wrapping her arms around him as well she hugged him back for dear life. Holding him as she felt she had finally found someone else she didn't have to be afraid of losing or letting them get close for the risk of hurting herself when they turned out to be tricking her.

Naruto just stood there, hugging the sobbing older girl as she cried into his shoulder, only this time they were tears of joy, letting her get it out of her system. Kami knows she needed it.

After a few minutes, the two broke apart as Anko rubbed the tears out of her eyes before pointing at Naruto with a mock glare, "If you tell anyone I cried I'll sic my snakes on you. Can't have my badass Bitch image ruined." she smirked.

Naruto chuckled, "Don't worry your secret is safe with me, now come on, Jiji and Yūgao are probably wondering what's taking us so long." he said as he gestured to the door and the two walked out hand in hand.

As they stepped outside both Yūgao and Hiruzen looked at them and both saw them holding hands, both smiled seeing the subtle gesture.

Hiruzen smiled proudly, _'Good for you Naruto-Kun, good for you.'_

Yūgao smiled warmly at the pair, _'So you've finally let someone other than me in, eh, Anko-chan? Good, you've been closed off for so long I was worried and I'm sure Naruto will be the perfect one for you… although it wouldn't hurt to have a little chat with him later, can't have him hurting my Imouto now can we?'_

* * *

 **Scene break**

After a short walk the group arrived at a small store that didn't look like anything special from the outside. In fact, it didn't look like a weapons shop at all, it just looked like a regular building to anyone who looked at it.

It was only when they walked inside that Anko and Naruto's eyes widened. The interior of the store was massive beyond belief. It was unbelievable because it was impossible. The interior was of a completely different height and width than the building they had entered and it was far deeper than what the store actually looked like from the outside.

The walls on both sides were filled with weapons of all different shapes and sizes. There were large baskets of Kunai and shuriken along the lower parts of the wall and they could see where the shinobi clothing was located in the back with multiple changing rooms.

Seeing both their astounded faces Hiruzen chuckled, "Fūinjutsu really can do some amazing things can't it? Like expanding the interior space of a building to make it over ten times larger than what it actually is. And keeping a Henge placed over an entire building to make it look normal. Your Kaa-san really was skilled in it Naruto-Kun." he hinted.

Naruto's eyes widened when he realised what the Hokage meant. The Fūinjutsu on this building that increased the interior size and hid it from the attention of normal civilians was made by his Kaa-chan.

As they entered further into the store and approached the front desk the sounds of movement could be heard from the back room as well as the fires of a furnace from a blacksmith's forge. The unmistakable sound of metal hitting metal and the sight of hot sparks hitting the ground could be heard and seen from behind the plastic divider that covered the top half of the doorway to the back of the shop.

Hiruzen reached out and struck the bell on the front desk making it ring to get the attention of the one in the back. The sounds of striking stopped before the crunch of something being shoved back into hot coals was heard and large footsteps stomped towards the front as a large form made its way out the door to the front desk.

The man was huge, at least seven feet tall, with a body that looked like a slab of muscle. He wore a black vest shirt, thick navy cloth pants and a long leather blacksmithing apron. His brown hair was long, but was kept in a braid that ran to the middle of his back. His brown blacksmith's apron had multiple marks on it showing it was used a lot and his brow was dripping in sweat which he wiped with a dirty rag as he came out the door. His eyes scanned the front of the desk and settled on the most prominent figure there before he immediately bowed his head. "Hokage-Sama, it's an honour for you to grace my store with your presence today, what might I help you with?" the man said in a very formal tone.

Hiruzen just gave a small chuckle, "Ah, Daichi-Kun, it's good to see you again it's been too long. I hope everything is going well for you. There is no need to be so formal I am simply here on an errand to get young Naruto-Kun here kitted out with some new supplies and clothing and I knew that you would be able to help him out."

The large man raised his head hearing that and his gaze shifted to the young form of Naruto beside the Hokage. His gaze softened seeing the boy. There wasn't one adult in the village who didn't know who, and what, Naruto was and many believed the what made him the Kyūbi itself but he knew better and trusted Minato's seal to keep the Kyūbi at bay and the village safe. He held nothing against the boy for what he contained and smiled seeing him, "It would be a privilege to aid an aspiring Shinobi by supplying his equipment. What can I do for you today Uzumaki-san?" he said with vigour.

Naruto smiled as he reached for the scroll holding his Kaa-san's sword, "Actually Oshiro-san, before we get started on that I'd like to ask you if it would be possible to repair something for me? My Kaa-chan's blade was damaged before she could leave it to me and she mentioned in her letter to me that you were the only one she trusted to work on her sword. Would you mind taking a look?" Naruto explained as he unfurled the scroll.

Daichi blinked at the statement. As far as he had known Minato had chosen an orphan to house the Kyūbi and the child's parents had never been identified so how could his Kaa-san have left him a sword and a letter mentioning him? "Oh, well this is a surprise. Who was your Kaa-san, if I might ask?"

Naruto smiled, "The owner of this sword." he smiled cryptically as he opened the seal in a small puff of smoke.

Daichi was confused hearing that, but he soon got his answer the second she smoke faded away and his eyes settled on a katana he hadn't seen in close to thirteen years. His mouth hung open in shock, "T-That katana… it can't be…" he said before looking at Naruto and then to the Hokage, "Then he's…" he started to ask when the Hokage nodded.

"Yes Daichi-Kun. Naruto-Kun is Minato and Kushina's child, born on the day of the Kyūbi attack." Hiruzen said with a small smile.

Daichi blinked before looking back to Naruto in shock as he pictured the small blond without his whisker birthmarks and his eyes widened before he gave a small chuckle before he burst into full laughter clutching his gut.

He was one of the few to know about Minato and Kushina's marriage, there was only twelve or so who actually knew about it, as it had been a small event to keep it that way. After all, what would Kumo and Iwa do if they heard the two biggest threats to them got married? That would just be asking for trouble.

Through his laughter he strained to speak, "…Well I'll be damned. Minato, you sly dog! You pulled one over on the whole village from beyond the grave. I swear I did not see that one coming!" he said as he repeatedly banged the table in his fit of laughter at the situation.

Taking a few moments to calm down Daichi looked to Naruto with a happy smile wiping a tear from his eye. "Uzumaki-san. Your parents were my best friends back in the academy, you are always welcome in my store, and in my home." he stately proudly.

Naruto smiled back at him, "Arigato Oshiro-san."

Daichi waved his hand in front of him gesturing his denial. "Enough of the formalities. Call me Daichi, the son of my best friends has that right." he said before he lifted the katana in front of him, "Now let's see what we're dealing with here." he said as he pulled the blade from its scabbard.

After a few careful moments the blade was out of its scabbard and the two pieces lay on the counter top as Daichi inspected the break. "Hm, I see. A clean break made by sheer force alone. We're lucky the blade isn't bent or the metal deformed. It should be an easy fix although for the life of me I don't have a clue how this could have happened?"

Naruto was about to ask what he meant when a new voice ventured into the shop, "Tou-san, the blank scrolls are stocked over in the…" the voice started as a feminine figure came out of the back making everyone look at the entrance to the forge.

The person who entered was a young girl, maybe a year older than Naruto, with dark brown eyes and hair which was tied up in two buns on either side of her head like panda ears and short fringe-bangs framing her face. She wore a white sleeveless qipao-style blouse with red trimmings and black fastened buttons and matching puffy hakama-style pants. She stopped talking the second she saw that there were others in the shop.

"Oh, I'm sorry for interrupting I didn't know that…" she started to apologise but stopped again when her eye's fell on the O-Katana that was sitting on the bench. Her eye's turned to stars as she saw it. "Oh sweet Kami!" she said as she moved with speed over to the bench past her Tou-san and was practically ogling the sword in front of her. "It's gorgeous! The subtle curve in the blade, the way it reflects the light, the beauty of the craftsmanship, the sheer presence of the edge. It's a masterpiece of weaponry!" she said with breathless amazement as she reached out to lift it to inspect it further. "It's…" she started to say before her Tou-san's hand grabbed her wrist stopping her from touching the blade and snapping her out of her trance as he interrupted her.

"Not one of our blades, Tenten-chan," Daichi said firmly, but mildly amused as he always was when his daughter went into one of her weapon frenzies.

"Hu.." Tenten exhaled sadly before looking back to the people on the other side of the counter who were looking at her with sweat drops at what they'd just witnessed. She blushed before bowing, "Oh Kami. I did it again, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, it's just when I saw the sword I just, oh I'm sorry." Bowing many times throughout the rushed sentence.

Hiruzen chuckled seeing the child bow multiple times in apology, "It's quite alright my dear there was no harm done." he said reassuringly.

Tenten bowed again seeing the Hokage "Hai. I'm sorry Hokage-Sama, I almost touched your weapon without permission. I'm sorry." she said bowing again and again.

Hiruzen smiled, "As I said there was no harm done and as it happens the weapon actually belongs to young Naruto-Kun here." Hiruzen said as he gestured to the young blond next to him.

Tenten immediately looked at Naruto, noticing him more closely for the first time, and felt her cheeks heat up seeing him. As she gazed at the muscles that his shirt was clinging to, showing them off very well she mentally screamed, _'Dear sweet kami, he's a hunk!'._ She'd only seen him a few times in the academy, as they were in different years, but every time she saw him he was wearing that kami awful orange tracksuit that she could now see was hiding his Adonis-like body. And in his new clothes he was truly swoon-worthy, but she was pulled out of the daze when her Tou-san snapped his fingers in front of her a few times to snap her out of her state.

"Hm, what?" she said confused looking around.

"You zoned out there for a minute, Tenten-chan, and you looked a little warm with your cheeks flushing red like that. Were you standing next to the furnace in the back too long earlier?" Daichi joked, knowing why she what had happened but not wanting to embarrass his daughter further.

Tenten's cheeks flushed in embarrassment realising she'd been staring at Naruto the whole time. "S-sorry I didn't mean to do that, it's just that… um."

Naruto chuckled, "It's ok Tenten-san, quite alright. And you don't need to worry about the sword, I know it's quite the sight to see. It was one of the things my Kaa-chan left me. I was just bringing it to your Tou-san to get it repaired."

Tenten nodded, "Oh I see," she said as she looked to the break on the blade and frowned seeing the damage, "I hope it wasn't you that did that to it, was it?" she asked a little wary of the blond.

Naruto shook his head, "No, it was broken before I got it. And I'm not sure how it _was_ broken exactly."

Daichi nodded, "So am I," he said as he let his fingers glide over the metal of the blade not touching it and frowned, "This sword is made out of Uzu-chakra metal. It would have taken an extremely heavy force to have even put a chip on this blade. But to break it like this, I shudder to think of who could wield such a power."

"Uzu-chakra metal?" Naruto asked in confusion as Tenten and Anko looked equally as confused.

Daichi nodded, "It's a specially treated chakra metal that was found only before the second shinobi war. It was made by the Uzumaki's of Uzushiogakure. They had a special method of imbuing the waters and flames they used for forging the metal and weapons with their potent chakra that made the metal harder and more durable than any technique used anywhere else in the world and allowed the chakra of the wielder to run through the blade more easily." he said as Tenten looked at the blade wide-eyed. Daichi looked at Naruto, "Have you tried to do that yet?" he asked to which Naruto shook his head and Daichi gestured for him to do so.

With a nod, Naruto lifted up the katana and started channelling his chakra and his eye's widened feeling how easily it flowed into the sword and even more so when he saw the entire blade started glowing a bright red.

Daichi smiled, "Akai kotori (Red maelstrom) that was what your Kaa-san called this blade. It was feared far and wide when she wielded it on the battlefield as she cut down her enemies in a red storm that was like hell on earth." he said as he gestured to the broken part of the blade that to the other's shock was glowing red as well, "Uzumaki weapons truly are one of a kind, even when not whole they are still one." He said with a smirk, "And in the hands of an Uzumaki, some of the most lethal weapon masters and mistresses in all the nations, they are unstoppable. Hell the trail of bodies your Kaa-san left between here and Kumo is a testament to that. The woman was a sword master with no equal and combine that with her chakra chains and Fūinjutsu she was probably one of the most skilled Kunoichi in the Third Shinobi War, and that's including the likes of Tsunade Senju."

Naruto smirked, "And is something I hope to match in the future." he said holding out his hands as his chakra gathered and even faster than the last two times a Kunai formed in his hand, much to the shock of Tenten and a smirking Daichi.

"Ha, I see so you really do take after her!" he stated seeing the chakra weapon.

"H-how did you do that?" Tenten asked looking at the kunai in his hand.

Naruto smirked, "My bloodline is called Chakurafōji. It allows me to create weapon constructs out of my chakra that has solid physical forms. I only just gained access to it today so I'm still learning how to use it. When I learn how to use it properly I'll be able to make any weapon I want out of my chakra in the middle of combat." he explained while Tenten's eyes were wide listening to the concept as she thought of the possibilities of that bloodline.

"So the Uzumaki chakra weapons were a bloodline then, not just a Kinjutsu? That's interesting to know." Daichi said with a smirk, "So will Konoha be getting a new Akai shi (red death) in the future or rather a Kiiro no shi (yellow death)"

Naruto blinked at the statement before looking to Hiruzen in confusion who smirked, "That was the other nickname your Kaa-san got during the war. Her swordsmanship and red hair made her a fearsome opponent that promised death to any who crossed her path."

Anko whistled hearing that. "Wow, the more I hear about your Kaa-sama Naruto-Kun the more I'm starting to like her, she sounds like a total badass."

Naruto smirked, "Definitely, and hopefully Konoha will have a Kiiro no shi in the future. For now, I'm planning to master my bloodline and learn my Kaa-chan's Kenjutsu style as well as learn all I can about Fūinjutsu and later restart the Uzumaki clan in Konoha. I want to make both my parents proud."

Daichi, Hiruzen and Yūgao smiled hearing that as all three had similar thoughts, _'You already have.'_

Daichi cleared his throat and smirked, "Well I'll easily be able to repair this blade, but it will take three weeks. The metal will need to be steeped in Uzumaki chakra and Uzumaki flames before I can begin the repairs. Luckily your Kaa-san left me with a number of seals that she filled with her own chakra back when I was maintaining this blade regularly. I should still have them lying around somewhere, so I'll hunt them out and get working on the blade tonight. But for now I'll make sure you're kitted out for everything else. Tenten would you mind showing these two over to the clothing side and getting them sorted once Naruto has picked out his clothing."

Tenten nodded, "Hai Tou-san," she said before she started to lead Naruto and Anko over to the other side of the store.

Hiruzen smiled before calling over to them, "I'll order you up supplies for your Fūinjutsu lessons Naruto, so don't worry about that, and Yūgao will make sure you have everything you'll need for your other training."

Naruto smiled as he followed Tenten and Anko, "Thanks' Jiji, Yūgao-san."

As they approached the other side of the store Tenten started gesturing around pointing to the different areas, as she explained how this part of the store was laid out with the light armour on one side and heavy on the other, with a mix of different ones in between. And how everything was basically a mirror of the other side, style wise, the only difference being the number of armoured plates in each. Once Tenten was done explaining she turned to Naruto with a smirk, "So any specific style you're going for?" she asked

Naruto smirked back, "Oh, I've got a few ideas in mind. Would you two lovely ladies mind being my judges? I could always use fashion advice from two skilled and beautiful Kunoichi-to-be."

Anko smirked and Tenten blushed at the compliment but both nodded as they started to go around the store picking out different items of clothing while questioning Naruto on his preference in combat so as to make sure the clothing options weren't restricting his movements.

* * *

 **Time skip**

It was another hour before they were done with both girls adding in their commentary and their own touches to Naruto's style. But it was still mostly his own style, as he stepped out of the changing booth, that caused both girls' jaws to hit the floor upon seeing the new Naruto.

Now wearing a black mesh t-shirt with a black tank top shirt over the top of it, both skintight thus showing off his chiselled abs, the rest of his clothing consisted of a pair of baggy grey pants that were held up by a black sash tied in a double knot at the front of his waist. He also wore two lighter grey shin guards that were strapped on top of his baggy pants that went up to just below his knees. On his feet he had thin black socks with grey armor on top of the ninja sandals attached to his foot Waraji-style (think Bleach Shinigami sandals with armor on top of the foot and Naruto ninja sandal soles).

He had fingerless gloves on both his hands with metal backs. Over the rest of his body was a shin-length, long-sleeved trench coat in a slightly darker shade of grey with a notched collar. On the back was the Uzumaki crest, only the colours were reversed. Instead of white swirl on red it was red swirl on white, and strapped over both sleeves were metal arm guards the same shade of grey as his shin pads.

Naruto smirked seeing their jaws hit the ground. "I take it that means you both approve then?" he asked as they both nodded their heads lightly not taking their eyes off their blond eye candy as he sweats dropped at their staring.

Blinking herself out of it Anko cleared her throat. "Damn, that looks good. I knew the trench coat was the right call! I think I might just get myself one when I become a shinobi in a few years!" she declared as Naruto adjusted his arm guards.

"I think that would be a good idea, I think I'll also get myself another one of these but only in all black, to use on special occasions," Naruto thought out loud before looking to Tenten. "Could you add three black coats to the list as extras please?"

"Sure." Tenten said as she snapped out of the trance just as the adults walked in.

"Well, you're certainly looking the part now Naruto." Daichi said looking the blond over, "But you're looking a little light on the armoured side, but that's easily fixed with some seals."

Naruto blinked, "Seals?" he asked confused, "You know Fūinjutsu?"

Daichi nodded, "Of course I do, I learned plenty from your Kaa-san and my shop offers a range of seals to be applied to all outfits we sell. These range from storage seals and growth seals, all the way up to S-rank strengthening seals, meaning your clothes will take a beating and they'll never get so much as a scratch, and will grow with you. If you want I will be able to apply them to your outfits and have them delivered to your apartment at a later date."

Naruto nodded, "Yes, please, Daichi-san. Can you also put storage seals on the inside of both sides of the coats as well?"

Daichi nodded, "That can be arranged, now is there anything else you need? Hokage-Sama has already ordered you all the ink, brushes and paper you'll need for your lessons and Yūgao has bought enough supplies to keep a small army stocked for a war, so I think you're set on both of those fronts."

Naruto paused for a moment before nodding, "I was wondering if I could place a custom order. Because I'm planning to learn Kenjutsu I'll need a solid practice weapon. As I don't want to have to use my Kaa-san's sword all the time, as much as I like it using it for just practice wouldn't seem right, would it be possible for you to make a solid practice sword for me that I would be able to use? Price is no problem."

Daichi pondered for a moment. "That would be a very wise decision to make. Not many use their real swords for practice for fear of dulling the blade. That wouldn't be a worry with your Kaa-san's sword, given what it's made of. But if you are certain of this I know just what you would need; A full-bodied Bokuto made from refined chakra metal would do the job perfectly. It would also give you a way to practice channelling your chakra into your sword for when you do take up your Kaa-san's blade."

Hiruzen nodded in agreement. "I think that would be a wise choice, Naruto-Kun. Chakra metal is a type of metal that allows chakra to be channelled through it to increase its qualities. While Uzumaki-chakra metal would make it easier for you to do so, doing so with regular chakra metal will give you plenty of practice. It's also a type of chakra control exercise in different circumstances. If you do get this I will also apply seals to it that will be of benefit to your training when you use it."

Naruto grinned, "Sounds perfect. When could it be ready Daichi-san?"

Daichi pondered for a moment. "Well, normally I'd say I could have it ready in a day or two tops, but I want to make sure the chakra metal is properly refined and with no faults, so I'll say three days at the most. For now, you can just take one of the practice bokken for your training, they even come with a sheath and strap so you can carry them normally." he said as he gestured over to the barrel in the corner with several regular metal Bokuto inside.

Naruto smirked and said, "Perfect!", as he walked over and took one of them and slung it over his back so that it's grip was behind his left shoulder.

Anko smirked. "Now that completes the look, you're looking like a total badass now!" she said looking him over.

The others chuckled at her bluntness as Naruto smirked and said, "Thanks", before turning to Daichi, "So how much do I owe you for all this?" he asked walking back to the counter.

Daichi hummed to himself while taking out a notepad from his back pocket, flipping through it as he scanned the prices, "Well let's see… six trench coats at 1390 Ryo (~£100) each...that's 8,340 Ryo (~£600), and then the additional seals, an S rank strengthening seal at 21,716Ryo (~£1,500) per coat for six coats, that's 130,296Ryo (~£9,000), and then the additional growth seals at 18,097Ryo (~£1,250) per coat for 108,582Ryo (~£7,500), and then the additional storage seals you wanted on each two per coat for six coats rounds up at 65,148Ryo (~£4,500), and then the six shirts and mesh body armour that's 723 Ryo (~£50) each for 4,338 Ryo (~£300), with the strengthen and growth seals as well at 152,012Ryo (~£10,500), then the six pairs of armour guards and knee guards at 417 Ryo (~£30) each they'll have to be replaced when you grow out of them the growth seals don't work so well with metal, but the strengthening seals work the same so that's another 21,716Ryo (~£1,500) per set 260,592Ryo (~£18,000) for those, then six pairs of pants at 289 Ryo (~£20) per, that's 1,734Ryo (~£120) with the seals also at 152,012Ryo (~£10,500) again, then throw in the Bokuto at 974 Ryo (~£70), that makes for a sum total of 927,881Ryo (~£64,120)."

Anko whistled hearing that. "Damn, that's a whole lot of Dango right there."

Naruto chuckled, "And a whole lot a ramen as well." he said aloud while inwardly thinking, _'Good think I've got cash to burn, being a shinobi is expensive~!'_

Hiruzen chuckled at that before handing Daichi the Uzumaki account information for his records before they started to walk out.

Naruto waved back to Tenten as he left. "I guess we'll see you at the academy Tenten-chan and I'll be around for my Bokuto when it's ready Daichi-san."

Both father and daughter waved goodbye to the group as they walked out, Tenten blushing hearing the -chan suffix, which Daichi caught and chuckled to himself. _'Well Minato, who would have guessed? Things should be getting interesting from now on. He'll be a regular little lady killer, but if he hurts Tenten, your son or not, he'll answer to me and then to you and Kushina when I send him to meet you in the afterlife when I'm through with him.'_

* * *

 **Scene break**

As the group was walking back to the apartment Naruto frowned remembering some things from the scrolls that his Tou-san and Kaa-chan had left him before turning to Hiruzen. "Jiji, in the letter Tou-san left me he mentioned some things that I need to tell you about. Do you think we could go back to your office and talk for a bit?" he asked a little worried how he was going to break this type of news to the man he saw as his grandfather figure.

Hiruzen caught the tone in his voice and wondered what it was that had him so serious, but nodded. "Very well Naruto-Kun, we can do that. Is it sensitive to a point that only I can hear it, or can Yūgao and Anko join us for it?" he asked trying to get a clue on what it was.

Naruto frowned. "It's sensitive but not that way, it's involving what happened the night of the attack and certain events"

Hiruzen nodded. "I see, well I shall seal the room when we get there and you can tell me what the information is then. Don't worry it will be fine." he said seeing Naruto's worried look.

Naruto nodded. _'I hope so.'_

* * *

 **Time skip**

Arriving at the Hokage's office Hiruzen immediately sealed the room before he moved to take a seat behind his desk. "Alright Naruto-Kun, what exactly happened that night that you learned from your Tou-san's letter?"

Naruto frowned. "Well, from what you told me, what was believed to have happened was that the Kyūbi broke free of my Kaa-chan's seal and immediately started to attack the village. According to my Tou-san's letter that wasn't what happened."

Hiruzen frowned. "How so Naruto-Kun? Did something else happen that night?"

Naruto's frown deepened and he continued saying, "According to my Tou-san's letter the Kyūbi didn't set itself free, it was actually ripped out of its weakened seal that night by a cloaked man wearing a mask with one eye socket. Tou-san managed to chase him off but the Kyūbi was already free and destroying the village so he didn't have time to tell you this before he had to seal the Kyūbi in me. So we didn't know the truth till now, and what's more Tou-san suspected he would try again in the future and left me a warning about him."

Hiruzen frowned, very disturbed by this information. "I see, this is most distressing. The Kyūbi attack was orchestrated by someone on purpose as an attempt to destroy the village, and this masked man might return. We have no idea who he is or when he will return, this is just getting more and more troubling by the minute."

Naruto nodded, but frowned knowing the next part would hurt his Jiji. "There's more Jiji. Tou-san mentioned there was a reason that he didn't try to tell you about the man back then, because he wanted you to focus on defending the village, and he feared you might have gone chasing after the man had you known what really happened that night."

Hiruzen sighed. "Well I don't know how right he is about that. I don't think I would have, given the circumstances, the village needed to be protected. I don't think I would have just run off like that to try and catch him until the Kyūbi was beaten back and sealed again. Why would Minato even think that I would?"

Naruto clenched his fist not wanting to hurt the man he called Jiji, but he had to be told. "Because, the night of the Kyūbi attack, it was the masked man who killed your wife."

Hiruzen's eye's widened hearing that as his fists clenched like he'd taken a punch in the gut. Both Anko and Yūgao's eyes widened at that and instantly felt awkward being there in that moment that such news was delivered. As they watched the elderly Hokage lowered his head so his hat shadowed his face and his whole body start to shake as he tried to contain his emotions.

And the room stayed like that for ten minutes in complete silence as Hiruzen tried to work through his pain. No one moving or saying a word as Hiruzen came to grips that his wife and love hadn't been the victim of the Kyūbi attack but had been murdered. That her murderer had been out there this whole time and he hadn't known.

Hiruzen lowered his head as he silently cursed blond bastards for not telling him but took in a final breath before raising his head with a sigh of resignation before he spoke. "Thank you for telling me about this Naruto-Kun, your Tou-san was right to keep it from me.", he said while clenching his fists, "Had I had known I would have chased the bastard to the ends of the elemental nations, I'm ashamed to say. Until now, I had thought that she and the others had died as a result of the Kyūbi breaking free, but now I know the truth. You have done me a great kindness tonight Naruto-Kun. I am sorry that it had to be you to tell me about this and I know it can't have been easy for you to do, but I am thankful all the same." Hiruzen said, his voice slightly shaky. Naruto couldn't tell if he was about to cry or if it was his rage about to boil over.

Hearing the tone Naruto nodded. "You're welcome Jiji. If you want I can come back tomorrow or whenever you're feeling up to it and we can sort out my schedule then."

The old Hokage shook his head. "No, I'm fine my boy, thank you for your concern but it's been many years since my loss. Just like so many others, I will be fine." he said with a shaky voice that he tried to calm before speaking again as he reached into his desk drawer taking out a scroll. "Now let's start to list the individual topics you and Anko are going to need to be retaught before you go back to the academy."

Naruto nodded knowing the old man was lying, that he just needed the distraction at the moment to take him away from his newly re-opened emotional wound.

Yūgao stepped forward. "I believe we should cover a wide basis to make sure that we know that they have everything they need, even if just a little, and work up from there. This will help us determine where their educations have been sabotaged and we can then focus on those areas. So the basic Taijutsu Kata, chakra control lessons tied in with the three basic academy Jutsu and a test to see how their shuriken and kunai throwing is progressing with studying the textbook during the downtimes should cover the academy curriculum." Yūgao started to list as Hiruzen wrote it all down.

Hiruzen nodded, "And then for Naruto Bloodline training he'll need to get references for the different weapons so I'll have Daichi informed that Naruto will need access to borrow some of his stock temporarily in order to get their forms down before practising further. Then there's his Fūinjutsu lessons. That will need to take up a considerable amount of time and all these lessons will, more than likely, continue except after your academy classes are done for the day when they restart in a few weeks."

Yūgao nodded, "And at the same time Kenjutsu is also on the list of training, that won't be an easy thing to master."

Anko frowned. "What about my training?" she asked feeling a little left out of the conversation.

Hiruzen looked to Anko for a moment as he thought, "Well there is something I have in mind to help your training Anko-chan, but I will discuss it with Yūgao after this meeting, I want to hear her thought on my idea, but for now you will just have remedial lessons scheduled to fix anything that the academy messed up on, and you can ask Yūgao for lessons maintaining to anything else shinobi related and we will try to accommodate you like the academy should have." he said as he went into thought for a moment as a smirk came onto his face. "In fact the academy itself needs a new look at, after the sabotaging is fixed and dealt with, I think some new electoral classes should be listed, we have more than enough shinobi with different skill sets that could teach part time when not on mission, do either of you have any suggestions?"

Naruto crossed his arms. "Well some weapons classes would be good besides the standard Kunai and shuriken throwing, some advanced classes on what they already teach us in Taijutsu and chakra control would also not go amiss, and perhaps a beginners class in Fūinjutsu to see who has talent."

Anko smirked. "Maybe also some classes that teach more advanced Ninjutsu beyond the academy three and the basic supplementary ones, some elemental Jutsu would be nice, maybe some classes on advanced Genjutsu as well. I know Nai-chan has been complaining that they only teach that one Genjutsu and then how to detect and dispel it and nothing after that. Oh and what about some classes on Interrogation and Torture methodologies, maybe some demonstrations to go along with that?" she asked with a sadistic grin coming to her face and Naruto's.

Hiruzen chuckled at that last suggestion. _'Perhaps. I'd better throw in some Medical training and Jutsu classes as well in case some students get hands on.'_ he thought to himself.

Naruto paused for a moment as he thought on Anko's last suggestion about more Jutsu before an idea came to his head, "And maybe some extra classes on just the academy basic three, the Kawarimi and Henge are simple enough to do, but I'm still having trouble making one good Bunshin."

Hiruzen looked at Naruto and raised an eyebrow, "Is that so?", he asked with some curiosity, "Would you mind demonstrating for me Naruto, I think I might know what your problem is." he requested.

Naruto sighed but nodded before stepping back as he formed the ram hand sign before calling out, **"Bunshin no Jutsu"** before he and the area beside him went up in smoke only to fade moments later to show a depressed Naruto looking down at a grey weak form that looked to be Naruto slumped to the ground before going up in smoke after several second.

Hiruzen stroked his beard before he chuckled. "I see, just like your Kaa-san then." he said amused.

Naruto looked to Hiruzen in shock when he heard that, "My Kaa-chan had the same problem with the Bunshin?" he asked in shock.

Hiruzen nodded, "Indeed, in fact if I remember correctly most Uzumaki have that same problem with most of the weaker Jutsu requiring small amounts of chakra, it's to do with your bloodline and the amount of chakra you possess as an Uzumaki.", he explained, "To put it bluntly, your reserves are massive, they need to be to make solid chakra constructs like your weapons, but it's because you have such large reserves that it's even harder for you to draw on such a small amount of chakra in order to perform the Bunshin no Jutsu successfully. It's not because you have to little that they're turning out like that, it's because you're pumping too much chakra and trying to create too few clones to easily divide the amount out so it doesn't immediately kill the Bunshin. I'm afraid like all other Uzumaki the simple Bunshin Jutsu won't be possible for you to preform until you're much older when your chakra control is much greater as no one needs to create hundreds of Bunshin at the one time."

Naruto looked down at this annoyed that no one had thought to tell him that fact and the number of times he'd been laughed at in the academy for failing that Jutsu when he could never do it in the first place.

Hiruzen shook his head. "This should have been spotted in the academy, I have no idea why it wasn't. Then again many of the sensei may not be aware of the Uzumaki chakra reserve sizes."

Naruto scoffed mentally at this. _'Like it would have mattered anyway, they still wouldn't have done anything to help.'_ he thought as Hiruzen continued.

"However this will easily be rectified." he said before reaching into his desk and taking out a scroll and started inking down some instructions before rolling the scroll up and holding it out to Naruto, "That is the basic principles of the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, it is an advanced form of the Bunshin where the Bunshins are actually solid with a consciousness of their own, your Kaa-san preferred to use that Jutsu quite a bit if I remember, so it should be simple enough for you to learn, however", Hiruzen said before his tone turned serious, "This is for you to learn only Naruto, the Kage Bunshin is a B rank Kinjutsu, only those with the Hokage's permission, mine, can learn it. You are not to share it with anyone else, am I understood?" he said as Naruto nodded as he took the scroll, Hiruzen nodded back. "Good, Yūgao already knows this Jutsu as its one of the many listed in the ANBU archives, so she will be able to assist you in learning it, if you learn it to the extent your Kaa-san did it will prove very beneficial for your training."

Naruto nodded as he opened the scroll and he started to look through it for a few seconds before stopping. "Memory transference, so anything the Bunshin's learn and experience I gain the same." he said realizing.

Hiruzen nodded, "Yes, if your Bunshin reads a book you'll remember it, if they perform an exercise that requires chakra control you'll gain the control experience, if they do something that requires muscle memory, you'll gain from it all, and as an Uzumaki your reserves are so large you will be able to make more Bunshins than anyone else. That is why only you'll be able to make use of this training method, it should make your re-training run a lot smoother once you've mastered it."

Naruto nodded, "I see, so is this how you keep on top of all your paperwork Jiji? Make Bunshin to do it while you relax?" he openly asked.

Hiruzen blinked hearing that as the words processed through his mind as he seemed to freeze for a moment before slumping in his chair with a sigh, "So that's how he did it." Hiruzen said with a tone of disbelief and amusement in his tone, before he smirked. "No Naruto I have never used the Kage Bunshin to do my paperwork, but something tells me your Tou-san did. I could never figure out how he managed to keep on top of it all with so little trouble, he never told me his secret. I can't believe it took me this long to realise it." he said shaking his head in amusement.

Yūgao smirked, "Well at least things will be easier now that you know." she said trying to hold back her own amusement.

Hiruzen nodded, "Indeed, now I think that is enough for this evening. You have given me much to think about regarding the academy and it would appear that I and Yūgao have a lot of work ahead of us for this evening. Why don't you two both head on back to your apartments, Yūgao will be along shortly, as we have things to discuss."

Both Naruto and Anko nodded before they turned and walked out of the room heading for home, leaving Yūgao and Hiruzen to talk.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey all, sorry about the really long wait for this chapter, things have been really hectic as of late and I had to put a lot of things on hold to deal with things, I've found less and less time and motivation as of late to write but I'm going to try to get back to it, I have the ideas set for the next fifteen chapters of this fiction and it's going to be changing a lot from the original version but it will only be for the better, look forward to more chapters coming in the future**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

It was the next morning in a large open space training ground that both Naruto and Anko stood eagerly in front of Yūgao for their first joint training session, both were ready to get started on things as they both smirked in anticipation.

Yūgao just grinned inwardly to herself seeing them, _'We'll see how long those grins of theirs last'_ , she thought before speaking, "Alright then, seeing as we're just starting off and this training is originally meant for you Naruto we'll kick things off by gauging your skill level, so I know where I need to start at for your training," she explained to which they both nodded, "And the best way to do that is for us to have a spar, it will let me see what your capable of, so when you're ready" she said as she shifted her stance slightly widening the gap between her feet to move easier.

Naruto nodded as Anko stepped back and he moved forward with speed, his first swing was wide a right hook going for Yūgao, he moved with speed that had Yūgao curious as she easily evaded the wide swing, Naruto countered by using the miss as momentum to try to go for a heal swing as he lowered himself, Yūgao simply caught his foot before pulling him forward throwing him off balance.

Naruto quickly corrected himself with a roll before going right back to it throwing himself at Yūgao with an uppercut who simply tilted her head back dodging the swing before grabbing Naruto by his underarm and elbow and pulling him over her head and slamming him to the ground not with force just with his own weight enough to make him grunt in discomfort on hitting the ground.

Naruto was about to pull himself back up to go again before Yūgao held up her hand, "That's enough Naruto, I've seen more than enough of… whatever that was supposed to be" she said a little bit of amusement in her tone as Naruto got up wincing slightly.

"That was… interesting, for the lack of a better term. Your speed and reaction times are good, and you can clearly think on your feet," Yūgao praised with a small smirk, before sighing, "Your form, however, leaves much to be desired, I didn't see one correct Kata in there from the Basic fist style that the academy teaches, you were more like a brawler swinging at anything and everything, while you would have no doubt had the speed to hit most your own age without the proper form your attacks will lack power and you'll look ridiculous while doing it, didn't any of the academy teachers even attempt to try to rectify your mistakes?" she asked in curiosity.

Naruto shook his head, "No, this is how I've always fought, the Sensei just showed us the stances and then went around the others correcting theirs but just left me, I tried to copy exactly what I saw but it just didn't feel natural to me"

Yūgao nodded, "The basic fist style is just meant to teach academy students the basics of fighting, it's not meant to be a style used through your whole shinobi career, it's one of the easier styles to learn that's why it's taught to students when they first start the academy" she explained before shaking her head, "Ok that'll be the first thing we have to fix, then after I'm sure you've got the kata's correct we'll see about finding you a Taijutsu style of your own that feels more natural, perhaps there's some in your clan scrolls that you can learn from" she said as Naruto smirked with excitement before she held up her hand, "But that comes later, the first thing you're going to be doing is learning the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, it will be key to your training"

Naruto nodded understanding and eager to get started, when Anko came over, "What about me Yūgao-nee, what will I be learning, you and Hokage-Sama talked about it after Naruto-Kun and I left yesterday didn't you?" Anko asked.

Yūgao nodded, "We did," she said before frowning, "I originally wanted to push what you had already been learning in the academy and expand on that, but after you two left yesterday Hokage-Sama gave me this" she said as she reached into her side pouch and took out a scroll with a purple sash around it with a black snake emblem on the rims, Anko stiffened seeing it as he eyes grew cold which Yūgao couldn't miss, "You recognise it?"

Anko nodded, "It's one of _his_ scrolls," she said with pure venom in her voice

Yūgao nodded, "It is, it was found among the possessions he left in the village, he likely didn't have time to collect before he had to escape the village," she explained as Anko glared hatefully at the scroll, "Inside is an assortment of other scrolls detailing his Snake Jutsus and techniques, all those pertaining to the snake contract that you also signed", Anko's eyes went wide hearing that, "Hokage-Sama gave me this in hopes that you would consider learning the techniques in it, as the last snake user in the village, you're the only one these techniques will be of use to," Yūgao said as her voice grew softer, "Anko-chan, I won't force you to learn these. I know how much you hate him and learning his techniques would be the last thing you'd want to do, there are other techniques you can learn you don't have to…" Yūgao started to say only to stop when Anko shook her head.

"No…" Anko spoke as her fists clenched, "I don't want to learn them, but I know that they're not him they're just techniques of his, learning them would just be another reminder of him, like this damn mark on my neck," she said as her fists shook, "But the difference is, with these I'll be able to use them, and once I find him I'll be able to use them on him to make him pay, I don't like the idea of learning them but they're what I'm going to need if I have any hope of facing him" Anko said slowly as her fists stopped shaking, and she looked up at Yūgao, "I'll learn them"

Yūgao smiled sadly at Anko and nodded as Naruto put his hand on Anko's shoulder to try and give her some comfort, Anko just looked to Naruto and smiled sadly in thanks.

* * *

 **Scene break- Hokage tower**

On the top floor of the Hokage tower, multiple Chūnin instructors were arriving in the meeting room after being summoned, unsure for the reason behind being called there other than what they had been told by the ANBU who had collected them. Which was only that the Hokage wanted to speak with all Chūnin academy instructors.

As the last instructor gathered into the room the door out to the hallway was closed by the two ANBU standing outside it, the closing sounded almost ominous as the doors clicked shut.

As they did another door on the far side of the room opened and the Hokage walked into the room, the upper half of his ageing face shadowed by his Hokage hat as he walked in and made his way to the front of the room, his hands clasped behind his back as he did so.

The Chūnin instructors waited patiently for Hiruzen to take his position and turn to them. Several moments passed and still, he did not speak as the tension began to fill the room, before it finally snapped when Hiruzen spoke.

"Do any of you know why I have called you here today?" he asked his voice lower than any of them have ever heard him, the chill it gave off made each Chūnin stiffen with fear as no one spoke.

"No one? What a shame. I would have hoped that at least one of you would have even the slightest idea, as to why I find myself so displeased… no, utterly disgusted with each and every one of you in this room," Hiruzen said his voice remaining low but his words and Sakki chilling every Chūnin in his presence as they each felt like death was washing over them, "I suppose an explanation is in order as to why I am so wroth with each and every one of you." Hiruzen spoke as he finally looked up at them and they all gulped in unison seeing the rage in the elderly Hokage's eyes, he was incensed, and they were in trouble.

"Each and every one of you was charged with a single important task when you started the academy, one task above all others. Train each and every child in your charge, and prepare them for the challenges of being a shinobi," Hiruzen said as he glared from Chūnin to Chūnin, "and each and every one of you here, have failed that task and disobeyed your orders blatantly. I should have each and every one of you executed for what you have done!" Hiruzen yelled out in his rage.

Each Chūnin's eyes widened hearing the accusations from their leader, and one quickly stepped forward, "Hokage-Sama, how have we failed, we teach every day at the academy, doing as we are charged, surely you…" the Chūnin was about to continue but was silenced by a blast of Sakki more potent than before that dropped him to his knees his and every other Chūnin's eyes wide with fear as the Sakki poured off Hiruzen Sarutobi as his anger reached its peak.

"Do you think me blind?" Hiruzen yelled his words filling the room as each Chūnin trembled, "Do you think I am so foolish to not see what you, what each of you, are doing!" Hiruzen spoke as the air rippled, "I know what has been going on each and every day in the academy for the past six-plus year, the utter abuse of authority each of you have shown towards students under your care, excusing select students from lessons, sabotaging students tests, scrutinizing their honest efforts in class and setting them up to fail! I would have thought that you all learned, those of you who were there when the last head of the academy was dealt with for such abuse of his given authority! But apparently, each of you has forgotten your place and need to be reminded! This is my village, that is my academy, and those are my future shinobi whose lives you are risking by sabotaging their education and it stops now!"

With a snap of his fingers Hiruzen summoned two ANBU to his left and right, Taka and Kuma stood to attention awaiting further orders as Hiruzen continued his rant, "From now on, each and every class will be watched by two ANBU black ops, and they will be under direct orders should they see any abuse of authority or any behaviour that indicated you are not fulfilling your orders or endangering one of your students futures by not training them properly or at all as I have so ordered, your lives will be forfeit and you will be executed by them on the spot for disobeying orders and treason against the village by trying to undermine its future shinobi forces, and make no mistake that is exactly what you are doing when you attempt to sabotage a student, by not training them correctly you endanger not only them when they leave the academy but their teammates as well, for it is them that has to pick up the slack that may get them killed by doing so,"

As Hiruzen was speaking two Chūnin at the back of the room were whispering to each other and Hiruzen distinctly overheard them, "Great. How are we meant to sabotage the Demon brat now?"

Hearing that Hiruzen's Sakki flared to its peak as he pointed toward the Chūnin and snapped his finger as both Taka and Kuma disappeared in shunshins and re-appeared behind the stupid Chūnin and before the man could react he had a tanto through his heart a split second before a second tanto removed his head from his body, which hit the floor with a thud making many of the Chūnin looked on wide-eyed before both ANBU returned to their Hokage's side the same way they left.

"Understand this and understand this well all of you, there's is no demon in this village, does none of you remember your Fūinjutsu training in storage seals, for the same principle, applies to what happened twelve years ago, the student is the container not the beast within him, you would do well to remember that or this I guarantee that this will not be the last death on the subject, I suggest you all retake your Fūinjutsu studies to remind yourself on that fact" Hiruzen glared as he clenched his fists trying to reign in his Sakki as he spoke, "It is because of your stupidity that we are here now, we are only as strong as our weakest shinobi, should one fall the risk to the rest of the force is weakened and the enemy can exploit that, it is your job as instructors to make sure they are trained so that doesn't happen. Am I understood!" getting a round of "Hai! Hokage-Sama!" in response from the group of Chūnin.

Hiruzen finished with another snap of his fingers and Taka and Kuma disappeared into two shunshin being dismissed by their Hokage.

Narrowing his eyes on his Chūnin Hiruzen continued, "Now, there are more issues that require my attention to do with the academy and its teachings," Hiruzen said as his gaze swept over each instructor anew, "while the graduation rate has been high in the past, the number of students actually being accepted at Genin level by their Jōnin-sensei are not even half that number, and it is ultimately them that can pass students who meet their standards, and over half of them don't, if this continues with in the next number of years our shinobi forces are going to suffer for it and the village will be all that more venerable," Hiruzen said as he watched the expressions on each of the Chūnin's faces, most of them were shocked, some looked fearful that was exactly what Hiruzen wanted, "in order to counteract this, I've decided that a complete redraft of the academies curriculum is in order, to reassess what is being taught to the students, I have already looked over the class scheduling and the individual lesson plans, and I can see that while it gives a good foundation, if taught well, it does not however instruct on the more advanced aspects and subjects that a shinobi might need to be aware of, as such on top of reassessing the current curriculum I have determined that new elective classes will be offered to students in their last four years at the academy to prepare them and offer them a wider range of skills for when they graduate, each student will be required to choose a minimum of three of the elective courses so as to make sure they have some advanced knowledge. The elective classes will range from, Fūinjutsu, Kenjutsu, Bōjutsu, advanced Taijutsu, advanced chakra control, advanced Genjutsu, basic Elemental Jutsu C rank, Medical Ninjutsu and Interrogation and torture methodology."

Hiruzen watched each Chūnin as he listed off the course subjects for the new academy classes that he was planning to implement as soon as classes started up again, he could see the thoughtful looks that many of them had, as well as some looks of concern that they had, likely they were worried that they'd have trouble teaching the core subjects to the students with these new elective classes on top of that, cutting their class time even more.

"I can see some of you are concerned, likely about the strain on time that these new electives will cause due to the increase in classes in the same number of hours, this has also come to my mind, because of that the academy closing time will be prolonged by two hours for the three of the elective years and three and a half hours for the final year, with a third half hour meal break before the final hour to allow for the increase in classes offered, parents and students will be informed about this when the notifications are sent out, at the same time that students in their final four years are sent out their lists to choose their elective subjects for their remaining years in the academy, something that means none of you will be leaving here until the new schedules and class times are ready" Hiruzen said as he glared over each Chūnin as if daring them to say differently, none of them did, as one thing was secured in each of their minds, that Hiruzen Sarutobi was not a man to be trifled with and that he was no longer going to put up with shinobi being lax any longer, he was the Hokage and he was going to fix his village one way or another, starting with his future shinobi forces.

* * *

 **Scene break- training grounds**

Both Anko and Naruto lay on the grounds of the training grounds panting heavily, exhausted after three hours of the most difficult training they have ever undergone, but neither could deny how beneficial it was and how the results were going to be of even more benefit in the future.

For Naruto he had finally managed to get the **Kage** **Bunshin** **no** **Jutsu** down, though the training was mentally and physically draining, he knew that what the Bunshins mean was that his training was going to be going at a new faster pace than before.

While Anko had been steadily focusing on the **Hebi Kawarimi no Jutsu** and **Hebi** **Bunshin** that relied on her utilizing the Hebi summoning contract to summon enough her snakes and place them under a Henge to look like her till hit by an attack, the technique required multiple Jutsus to be used in unison which was the more draining, but ultimately rewarding as she could command her snakes to attack her enemies once the Henge broke, something that would catch many off-guard.

Yūgao looked down on them both with a smirk seeing her two charges exhausted after just such a short while, she knew she wouldn't have to work them too hard to wipe the smirks off their faces, but if they thought they were done, they were about to be sadly disappointed.

"Alright you two, that's enough resting, on your feet," Yūgao commanded as she crossed her arms under her bust, "It's time to continue your training, and there's a lot to make up for now, Naruto I want you to make half as many Kage Bunshin's as you can, we're going to make as much use out of them as we can for today because you're Fūinjutsu lessons with Hokage-Sama start tomorrow, and you'll still need chakra of your own for your physical training. I'll task them after I see how many you can make"

Naruto and Anko started to get to their feet still winded partly as Naruto nodded seeming to get his second wind, "Hai, Yūgao-sensei," he replied before forming the single hand sign, **"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu"** he called out as the entire area behind him seemed to engulf in smoke at once before fading away revealing a miniature army of Naruto's with the original at the front taking a few deep breaths before straightening up looking like it was nothing, "three hundred Kage Bunshin awaiting your order Yūgao-sensei" he replied and both Yūgao's and Anko's mouths dropped.

"T-three hundred…" Yūgao sounded in shock, "Naruto I told you to make half, of your limit, not the full amount?"

Naruto blinked, "But Yūgao-sensei I did, I only used half of my reserves, or at least I think I did, I don't really feel the drain any more" he explained looking a little confused.

The pair of them looked at him like he was insane, while Yūgao's mind was running a mile a minute at the possibilities, _'if this is half of what is reserves are capable of at this age, and he hasn't even begun his chakra control exercises yet, just how many Kage Bunshin will he be able to make by this time tomorrow if his control improves by as much as I think it will'_ she thought as she tried to process the math for a moment before shaking her head out of the thoughts to focus on the three hundred and one blonds looking at her for directions.

"Alright then it this is what I have to work with, I want ten of you to head to the library, there you will spit, five will head into the public section and start reading books on topics relevant to civilians, laws, customs, traditions, history, geography, stuff like that which will be necessary for you to know later, the other five will head into the shinobi section and will begin researching different topics, two I would recommend are chakra control and chakra nature for a start, the others may look for further topics that catch your eye, make more Kage Bunshin's while there to research other subjects if necessary, but don't completely fill the building" Yūgao instructed.

Naruto frowned, "Um Yūgao-sensei, the last time I tried to get into the library the attending librarian threw me out, saying I wasn't allowed in there"

Yūgao scowled, "I see, well we'll have to rectify that in a couple of weeks once your classes start up again, but for now just send them in under different Henges to avoid any confrontations with her, same with any Kage Bunshin's made while there so that she doesn't suspect" Yūgao recommended getting nods from ten of the Bunshin as they each were covered in plumes of smoke before clearing again revealing ten random civilian boys as they all headed off towards the library to fulfil their orders.

With a satisfactory nod from Yūgao she cleared her throat, "Ok then," before looking to the others, "I need one hundred of you all to head over to the tree line and pick a tree each, you'll all be working on tree walking, a form of chakra control that involves sending your chakra to the bottom of your feet so you stick to the tree and walk up its body, so head over now and you'll have one of my own Kage Bunshin coming over in a minute to get you all started on it"

Getting multiple nods in response a large number of Bunshin started heading over to a large concentration of trees as ordered.

Yūgao made her own hand sign as they left and three of her own Kage Bunshin appeared to her left, and one started off towards the tree walking group, "alright, now another one hundred of you will head off with these two Bunshin of mine, you'll be in two groups of fifty, one group working on your Basic fist kata's and the other will begin in learning the fundamental basics involved with all Kenjutsu styles so that you'll be ready to begin your own Kenjutsu training once your Kaa-san's sword has been repaired"

Getting nods the large Bunshin group moved off leaving just the three originals and the last ninety of Naruto Kage Bunshin and Yūgao paused for a moment to think before nodding, "Now, ten of you are going to being returning to the apartment under Henge, so as not to draw attention you yourselves, and begin looking through your clan scroll, I understand the contents of it are rather important, so take your time, but unlike your library counterparts don't be making more of yourselves to read too far ahead, you have to understand everything in there before moving on, that is your clan's legacy, it should be learned slowly and properly, not rushed"

Ten Bunshin nodded and after quick Henges they all left to return to the apartment to begin reading the contents of the Uzumaki clan scroll as Yūgao turned to the last group of Bunshin.

"And now for you eighty. You'll all be working on your clan bloodline, I want you all to divide into groups of twenty and choose a weapon form to begin to create with your bloodline, start off simple, and build up, once you've got the form down and solid in less than ten seconds, start building on the style, all the time improving the speed of your constructions, from what I understand your Kaa-san was able to embed Fūinjutsu arrays into her chains for different effects and to do so at high speed, I believe this will make an excellent start on you heading down the same path if your able to create highly detailed constructions with speed as well as accuracy, and once you've got them made, work on making them last, the longer you can use them the move of use they will be in a fight" Yūgao ordered as the Bunshin's looked excited at the training they had been given as they all quickly headed off to get started leaving the three originals behind.

Watching the last of the Bunshin move off to start the training Naruto looked to Yūgao, "Yūgao-sensei, would I be able to start learning my Tou-san's Jutsus today, I looked over the scrolls before coming this morning, he laid out all the steps of the Rasengan so it's easy to follow, I was wanting to learn the basics of Fūinjutsu with Jiji before I attempted his other technique"

Yūgao paused in thought as she considered it, "Hmm, perhaps, what are the steps you have to learn?" she asked slightly curious.

"Rotation, power and control," Naruto listed off on his fingers, "the first requires me to pop a balloon filled with water, by using my chakra to spin the water inside the balloon as the rotation training, the second is the same except with empty rubber balls accept I have to build up the power by a lot in order to pop the rubber balls with nothing inside, and then the third is about form and control using just plain balloons, I have to fill them with chakra and make the chakra take the shape of a sphere in the palm of my hand and compress it so that it doesn't pop the balloon"

Yūgao nodded slightly, "I see, yes I think beginning your training with the Rasengan might prove to be a good idea at this stage as while those sound simple to most, I can guarantee they will take some time to learn and combine them to perfect the technique," Yūgao reasoned, "Send a Henged Kage Bunshin to get as many water balloons, rubber balls and plain balloons as it can, when it comes back I want you to make a hundred and fifty Bunshin and divide them up into groups of fifty, each group will take a stage and will work on it till they get it down perfect, while you will be starting your physical exercise which the Kage Bunshin can't help you with, which you can start once you've got the clones made, I think a warm-up of two hundred push-ups before the same number of laps around the training field will do for a start" she said seeing Naruto's expression go from one of excitement to one of dread and terror from hearing his warm up.

Anko giggled to herself seeing Naruto's look of fear, her fatigue from her previous training long forgotten, looked you Yūgao, "What about me Yūgao-nee-sensei, what will you have me doing?"

Yūgao smirked, "since you don't have Kage Bunshin to rely on for your training like the blond chakra reserve over here, you need to focus on your chakra control, for now, to make what reserves you do have count, so you can go and join the hundred Naruto's currently working on the tree climbing exercise, just see my Bunshin for the complete explanation before you start and make sure not to overexert your reserves, training is going to be going on all day, and I don't want you fainting from overexerting your chakra before we're finished"

"Hai" Anko called as she sprinted in the direction the Bunshin had headed off to.

Yūgao rounded on Naruto as his new Kage Bunshin ran off to the shops to complete his orders and Naruto turned to a smiling Yūgao and gulped seeing her grin, one thing he was sure of, he was going to be sore by the end of this next training.

* * *

 **Time skip- Hokage's office**

Hiruzen Sarutobi collapsed on the sofa in his office utterly spent as he wiped his brow with a towel, as three of his pre-made Kage Bunshin hustled around the room with paperwork and files, as another two worked behind his desk signing forms and checking documents, which they had been doing all day while the original now lay exhausted on the sofa after a long days training while his Kage Bunshin took care of his other duties.

He had gotten his memories back from his first Bunshin half an hour ago when he had finally let the Chūnin instructors go after they had spent the better part of eight hours planning and scheduling the new class time tables for the final four years of the academy, as well as working overtime to have the paperwork filed and having the notices sent out to all academy students as well as the elective classes forms sent to the final four year groups so they could be filled in before classes resumed and they could finalise individual time tables when they got them back.

The multiple Kage Bunshins had been a lifesaver in his office work, they had cleared up the majority of it in the first five hours working together as they had, and what new ones came in they were soon on top of, they actually had time to spare to begin on working on the other problems that Hiruzen was planning on tackling.

The village laws, he was planning to pull all the powers of the seat of the Hokage once had back, but where lost between the time Minato died and he retook his position, by the civilian council, he could see many laws that they had passed under his nose, that was something he was planning to rectify shortly, and if everything went to plan he should have his power back into in a few weeks, but he wasn't counting on it because he knew that the civilians wouldn't give up what little power they'd tasted without a fight, and it was one that he was planning to give them.

His clones were currently looking for loopholes in the laws that he could exploit in order for him to retake his power by force, currently there was only one they had been able to find and it was a long shot that it might work but if it did it would be a closer, as there was no doubt a few civilian councillors fell under what he needed them to for it to work, all that he needed after the face was the clan heads to vote along with him to overturn rulings and return the power to him, the long shot was making sure he had the majority votes when the time came.

Hiruzen scowled when he thought of how corrupt the council had become in latent years, or had it always been that corrupt, ever since it had been founded by the Nidaime when he had taken his place a Hokage after the Shodaime had passed, Hiruzen had thought it was a wise idea to give the people a voice, up until then it had only been the clans that had a voice as they were the largest groups of the population and thus could speak for the overall majority of the populous at the time. But not Hiruzen could see that it had been corrupt because of that reason, the clans were already prosperous and had power which their clans gave them, but the civilians were just normal everyday people, the power and the opportunity that the council position gave them made them greedy and they abused the power to better themselves and their families under the guise of bettering the village, and they used that power not just for those purposes but to harm those who they considered inferior, like Naruto.

Hiruzen's scowl morphed into a frown as he thought of the young blond as he realised just how badly he had failed him over the years, he had tried to protect him, to give him some semblance of a normal childhood but he should have known better from the start of it all, Naruto would have never had a normal childhood in this village one way or the other, even if he had revealed who his parents were all those years ago when Naruto was presented to the council, he would have been even worse than the last Uchiha was because of it pampered to the point of being a spoiled, arrogant, brat, but part of him wondered if that would have been better than what he was now. He still recalled the coldness in Naruto's voice that evening in the days before, it was one that shouldn't have been used by someone of his age, the village truly had been hell for the blond. And its civilians had ignored the last wishes of its Hokage, for Naruto to be treated as a saviour for holding back the Kyūbi, that was sealed within him, it was that fact above all others that solidified Hiruzen's stance on the matter in his mind. The village had wronged the legacy of one of its heroes, his chosen successor, and if Naruto wanted to take revenge on the village for all the pain it had dealt him in the past, then he was right to do so, and Hiruzen would help him to teach the idiots of this village a hard-earned lesson that had been due for a long time, even if that meant burning Konoha figuratively to the ground, only then could it rise again from its ashes and be reborn with through the will of fire, it would be difficult but it would be right.

Hiruzen rubbed his eyes about to get up to start aiding his Bunshin in clearing up the last of the documents and work that needed seeing to, but before he could an ANBU in an Inu (Dog) mask appeared in a kneeling position in front of him.

"Hokage-Sama," the ANBU said humbly, "a council meeting has been called by the civilian side and you have been summoned to attend"

Hiruzen looked at the ABNU for a moment as his words registered and his lips set thinly as he suppressed his rage at the scene in front of him, "I see, very well, tell them I shall attend momentarily, you are dismissed" he spoke his irritation hidden in his calm tone.

The ANBU nodded before disappearing in windless shunshin as Hiruzen stood up and released a calming breath to control his anger, so was this how far the council's arrogance extended, that they would dare to command his ANBU black ops, and summon him to a council meeting in his building in his village.

It was clear to him now that he had let things get this far out of hand and that things needed to be set straight, he made a mental note to himself to address the ANBU problem later that night, apparently there were some misunderstandings as to who they answer to, with the younger units at least or that was what he hoped, but he would address the main core of the problem and see to it the council realised he would not bend to their commands anymore and let their misdeeds slip by unnoticed and unpunished any more. But first things first, he was going to go for a shower and a fresh set of robes, he had just spent the majority of the day training and he stunk to high heaven, the council could wait till he was good and ready to attend it would piss them off and that wasn't a problem in his books, as far as he was concerned it made them more prone to anger and slip-ups that he'd be able to use to his advantage, he could have always sent a Kage Bunshin to attend instead, but he wanted to savour this meeting personally, it all worked out in his favour, one way or the other.

* * *

 **Time skip- half an hour later- council chambers**

When Hiruzen finally did enter the council chambers he was greeted by a wall of yelling and raised voices, coming from the civilian side of the council chambers.

The room was cylinder shaped, with two curved tables on either side of the room.

On one side there was the civilian councillors, the more prestigious of the civilians representing the shops, businesses, banks, farms, families, restaurants, services and public facilities of the village, towards the end of the desk nearer to the Hokage's seat sat the elder council made up of three members to serve as the Hokage's immediate council in times of war it consisted of:

Homura Mitokado, a former teammate of Hiruzen's and member of the now dissolved team Tobirama; His short hair now grey and receding showing his ageing lines on his forehead more and more each day. Hit lower jaw now covered by a short grey beard and his frown ever constant, his eyes always half closed passed his jade green glasses.

Koharu Utatane, another former teammate of Hiruzens and the last member of the now-dissolved team Tobirama; her grey hair pulled back in two buns with a golden needle going through them like a Dango stick, on the thinker end hangs two wind chime like objects and on the thicker end was three ruby coloured spheres. Her age clearly showing on her face as she has taken to squinting over the years.

Both of which wore similar long kimonos in similar grey, brown and black colour schemes, each held closed by a grey Obi and a pale white sash.

The third member of the elder council was Danzō Shimura, an old friend to Hiruzen, though the two have very different views concerning the village's future, he also serves as the Hokage's military advisor in wartime. Though he had the appearance of a frail old man, any experienced shinobi could tell differently by sensing his chakra. He normally walked with a cane and half his face was covered in bandages extending over his right eye, he also has an X-shaped scar on his chin ever since he was young, his attire consisting of a white shirt and black robe covering from his right shoulder to his left hip and down to his feet, with a purple sash tied around his waist.

On the other side are the clan heads: First from the Hokage's chair is Shikaku Nara, Nara clan head and one of the previous members of the Ino–Shika–Chō trio; he had two scars on the right side of his face which were probably his most noticeable feature. He has dark hair tied up into a spiky ponytail, dark eyes as well as a goatee. His ears were also pierced. Like many of the clan heads, he was an active shinobi and as so wore clothing of that of a shinobi, Shikaku wore a meshed shirt underneath his flak jacket, a deer skin coat over that and hand guards. He has a genius level intelligence, but he's an extremely lazy one, so he tried to get as much sleep when he could.

Next was Inoichi Yamanaka head of the Yamanaka clan and one of the previous members of the Ino–Shika–Chō trio, he was also a valued member of the torture and intelligence division and the Hokage's right-hand man as Shikaku was his left; Inoichi was also a shinobi, he had long ash blond hair reaching into his back, which he wore spiky on top and ending in a long ponytail, blue-green eyes and strong facial features, which included a well-defined jaw line, wearing the standard flak jacket over a black outfit, complete with hand-guards, forehead protector and a sleeveless red haori.

Then was Chōza Akimichi the final member of the Ino–Shika–Chō trio; he is a tall, plump man with long, spiky red hair and purple markings on his cheeks, wearing a samurai like outfit, which entails a black suit completed with armour that has the kanji for "food" on it. With the addition of a rope belt, hand-guards, and instead of a forehead protector he wears a hachimaki tied around his head, as most chefs do as one of the thinks Akimichi were known for was their restaurants, he also wore a pair of silver, hooped earrings.

Next came Tsume Inuzuka and currently the only female clan head among the clans, but she was not someone you would want to mess with, she has an animalistic look. She has long, spiky, untamed brown hair, vertical slit-like pupils, elongated canine teeth and nails. She also has the clan fang markings on her cheeks as well as markings over her eyes and a dark shade of purple lipstick. She wears the standard outfit of a Konoha shinobi consisting of flak jacket and a black suit underneath with the sleeves rolled up and bandages around her legs.

After her, was the more stoic face of Hiashi Hyūga, Hyūga clan head, he has long, dark-brown hair, and featureless white eyes like all members of his clan, who wield the Byakugan. He wore very traditional, loose-fitting robes with a long-sleeved, brown haori.

And then finally came Shibi Aburame, head of the Aburame clan, like all members of his clan, has his eyes obscured by dark glasses which feature a single tassel hanging down from one-side. He has very spiky short black hair and a moustache and wore a high collared outfit.

Ignoring the yelling from the civilians Hiruzen proceeded to walk into the room heading for his chair, the cries of outrage and demands of what took him so long, washed over him as he proceeded forward.

Taking a side glance to the clan head side of the room he could see various expressions on most of them, as expected most looked irritated but he suspected not with him, though there were some curious looks being given his way, from both Inoichi and Shikaku, both were men of high intelligence, and he suspected they had taken an interest in his lack of interest in the civilians yelling and knew something was coming, they were right.

Taking his seat Hiruzen released a wave of Sakki hitting the entire room making all go silent as the fear of death wafted over them all for a split second before as quick as it came it vanished making some wonder if they had even felt it at all, but it was that split second that allowed Hiruzen to clear his throat after putting the attention solely on him as it was meant to be in these meetings.

"Now then," Hiruzen said as all eyes fell on him, "before we get started there are something that need to be set straight, first and foremost, no one in this room has the right to give command to any of my ANBU black ops, if they are guarding this chamber that is their purpose, those are their orders, no one but I, or their commanding officer, have the right to change that, they are no one's messengers, speaking of which who was it who had the audacity to do such and had the gall to send one of my ANBU to summon me, like a mongrel pup, to this meeting of my council when I didn't sanction it even being called!" Hiruzen spoke as his voice turned into a yell as his eyes swept over the civilian side of the room seeing them look at him with fear, "well, I'm waiting?" he asked again as one man, in particular, seemed to gulp as he found his spine and balls before standing up.

"Hokage-sama I thought it would be easiest to send one of the ANBU to get you for this meeting, it was an emergency meeting called which is within the civilian councillors charter to call should the need arise" the man responded his voice growing more confident with each word.

Hiruzen glared at him, "While you are indeed correct that calling an emergency meeting is within the civilian councils power to do so, it is only done so when the reason for the meeting is brought before the current Hokage, me, beforehand so that I can determine if a meeting is necessary for the topic or if a simple announcement needs to be made to clear the confusion up. You do not, however, have the right to go over my power and send out the summons for the meeting to occur, just as you do not have the right to use my ANBU as messengers, they are highly trained soldiers and assassins, not children to be sent on errands!" he yelled as the man seemed to whittle under his gaze and sit down with a gulp, "Now what is this so-called reason for this emergency meeting, if I determine it to be worthwhile we shall continue, if not I shall clear it up and we can all leave to get on with our days, rather than wasting time further" Hiruzen said his tone and volume now lowered to that of an irritated growl.

At his words, another of the civilian council members stood up and Hiruzen scowled at the sight of her, Mebuki Haruno, one of the most vocal members of the civilian side. She was a fair-skinned woman with shoulder-length, pink hair with a single bang, which falls down into her face. She also had green eyes and wore a white qipao dress with three red circular designs at the bottom of the front of her dress as well as the back. Underneath the dress, she wears pink ¾-length pants along with brown sandals.

Out of all the civilian side she had been the one that Hiruzen had never taken a liking to, the woman was a banshee, how she had ever been a shinobi in his village was beyond him, he was just glad she had retired after five years of service, having been unable to rise past the rank of Genin which was the whole reason behind her ever becoming a shinobi in the first place.

It was no secret that Mebuki wanted power, and position above what the civilian side of the council would give her, and the fastest way to do that as well as elevate her family was to have them declared a shinobi clan, it would elevate her family's status as well as move her up in power and give her a seat on the clan's side of the council, but in order for a family to elevate their status to a shinobi clan, two generations of a family must have served as shinobi and they must have at least one active family member at the rank of Chūnin or higher, this was one of the laws that the civilians had slipped through twelve years before and one that he was debating on getting rid of or modifying to better serve the village, Kami knows they needed more shinobi and that law might have just encouraged more to go down that path.

"Hokage-sama, the civilian council called this meeting, due to announcement letters that all parents with children in the shinobi academy received, detailing that there were changes being implemented to the final four year groups educational criteria, increased class times and extra course being made available, and those with children in those final four years were send extra documents listing the new courses and a notification that each student must pick a minimum of three to add to their class schedules before classes resume after the break," Mebuki stated as she indicated to the very documents on the table in front of her and others at the table, "we of the civilian council want to know why we weren't consulted about these changes before they were implemented, when they involve our children and their future"

Hiruzen scowled hearing that as he clenched his fists, "And pray tell Councilor Haruno, why would you or any _civilian_ councilor be consulted in matters such as these, that retains to a _shinobi_ academy, in a _shinobi_ village, training future _shinobi_ for my village, such decisions, responsibilities and controls rest solely with the Hokage of the village, something which you are not _civilian_ councillor Haruno" Hiruzen stated clearly putting his point across.

"But they are our children, we should have a say in any changes to their education, as it retains to their future," another civilian stood up to argue.

Hiruzen glared at him, "and you have had that choice presented to you, or rather your children have on the subject or subjects they wish to add to their future education"

"But we were never informed beforehand about these choices ever happening," Mebuki started up again, "as members of this council we…" she started to argue only for Hiruzen to cut her off.

"Have absolutely no powers over shinobi matters whatsoever!" Hiruzen raged shutting her up before she could get started, "as I have already dictated to you, all shinobi matters and decisions rest solely with the Hokage seat, and I have decided that these changes needed to be implemented to better prepare my future shinobi, they may be your children but the second they signed up for the academy they became academy students set on the path to becoming future Konoha shinobi, and the decisions of how they are taught at the academy are mine to make how I see fit not anyone else's." Hiruzen stately firmly, "the graduating numbers from the academy have been high in the past, but those who actually pass their Jōnin-senseis tests to progress to Genin rank are less than half of that, so in order to better prepare them I decided that more specialized classes in the academy would better aid them in this, as it was my decision to make. The fact of the matter stands at this, if you want your children to become shinobi then you will adhere to any decisions made for students of the academy or you will quickly find your sons and daughter removed from the academy immediately without a chance of resubmission, is that clear!"

Mebuki looked like she wanted to argue against his words but his final statement of removing children from the academy without any chance of being resubmitted had made her hold her tongue, she could not afford for her daughter to be removed due to her own ability not to hold her tongue at the right moment, if she was then her plans for a clan seat in her future and shinobi clan status for her family would go up in flames before she could even file the motion for assentation.

Watching from his seat, Danzō watched on intrigued by the new approached Hiruzen was taking, intrigued by how he had seemed to have grown a backbone overnight, his Root operatives had informed him that the Kyūbi container had been brought to the Hokage's office after a particularly brutal beating, not two evenings prior, the old war hawk could tell that something must have happened in that meeting, but with the ANBU constantly watching the Hokage office and house he hasn't been able to get anyone in there to report the comings and goings, and ever since Root was officially disbanded four years ago on the Hokage's authority he's had to be more discrete about matters.

One of the civilian councillors stands up, "And just where will the funding be coming from to pay for all these extra classes and lessons at the academy?" he asked clearly not liking they weren't being given any say in this matter.

Hiruzen scowled, "Where all the others classes get their funding, from the taxes and percentages taken from shinobi done missions, that's what the funds are meant for, to protect and better the village and what is more important than this village's future security from its shinobi forces."

Hiruzen could see the difference completely down the middle of the room at his words, the clan heads were all in agreement with his decisions and were nodding their heads in acceptance and approval, while the civilians were scowling and clenching their fists at not being consulted on any of the decisions, _'well that's just too bad, this is a shinobi village, my village and if I have my say a lot of you will be learning that the hard way in the next few weeks'_ Hiruzen thought to himself before standing up, "Now, as there's is no further agenda for this meeting as the apparent emergency was never that, I hereby call this meeting to a close, and let me give a small warning for future events, should anyone decided to call a meeting behind my back again without bringing matters they wish to bring forward to me first, I will consider it an act of treason, and usurpation, against, and of, the Hokage's power, for make no mistake that is exactly what this is" he said before rounding on the civilian who ordered his ANBU previously, "and if you ever think of summoning me again like some mongrel pup, I will see you hanging off the village walls by your hamstrings, am I understood!" he finished blasting the man with concentrated Sakki making him pale before collapsing on the ground in fright as Hiruzen walked out of the room leaving a clear message in his wake, the Hokage was back and he was pissed.

* * *

 **Training ground**

Naruto collapsed on the training ground for the second time that day, but this time it was for a whole other reason besides exhaustion, as he gripped his head feeling the migraine brought on by the information overload from too many of his Kage Bunshin dispelling and sending all their memories to him at once.

"Ow, my head feels like someones just took a lead pipe to it" Naruto groaned clutching his head as he tried to sort through his memories as they came to him.

Yūgao shook her head at the scene, "well I suspect that that's the only downside to using Kage Bunshin for training, once you've collected yourself we'll spar to see how your training has improved your skills so far"

Naruto nodded as he started to collect his thoughts the last of them filtering in from the clones in the training field and the ones doing the chakra tree climbing exercise, he felt their experience grow on him as his migraine slowly started to ebb away and he took a final breath to steady himself as he looked to see Yūgao waiting for him.

Seeing he was ready Yūgao signalled with a nod and fell into a stance, body turned slightly, left foot forward arms up, fists tight, muscles free ready to move.

Naruto followed into the same stance as he took one last breath before he made his move, fainting right he moved in close going for a left uppercut, but Yūgao blocked it, Naruto quickly countered by bringing his right knee up to try and catch her in the abdomen, she countered with the same, he swung wide with a right haymaker it was blocked as well.

Yūgao swung out with a left elbow Naruto ducked under it and tried to sweep Yūgao's legs out from under her, she evaded by moving back and Naruto pressed his advantage rising up with another left uppercut it was blocked and he followed with a right elbow, only for it to be caught and before he could move again he was spun around and found his legs swept out from under him and his front slammed to the ground his arm held in a vice grip behind his back as he left out a pained grunt from the impact.

Yūgao smiled approvingly, "very impressive, your Taijutsu has improved greatly, those fifty Bunshin's time was well spent on learning the kata's and movements, your form was near flawless"

Naruto smirked under her praise, "I'm not done yet" he said before he managed to get his knee below him and he ducked in the direction his arm was twisted pushing up at the same time, nearly driving the back of his head into Yūgao's chin as she moved away avoiding the head butt as Naruto pulled out of her grasp his now free hand moving to the Bokuto on his back pulling it from its holder as he turned to face her taking the wooden weapon in hand.

Yūgao smirked as she put her hand to the seal on her wrist and letting out a small poof of smoke drew forth her own Bokuto, "so it would seem" she said as she took her's in both hands and quickly moved it to intercept a downward strike from Naruto who was quick to attack.

Pushing up she forced Naruto back a step and moved to press her advantage with a horizontal strike, which Naruto blocked expertly before pushing upward catching Yūgao's Bokuto body with the guard of his own pushing her weapon up as he moved in to close the gap using his size to his advantage to try to limit her swing, she quickly lowered her weapon blocking the attack launched at her midsection and with a quick reverse of her grip that was too fast for Naruto to follow has his weapon clattering to the ground before he could react and the wooden edge of what would be the blade of Yūgao's Bokuto to his throat.

Yūgao gave a mischievous smirk seeing Naruto frown losing for a second time and let out a small laugh to try and lighten the mood, "And that looks like my win again, very good for someone who's technically only been training in Kenjutsu for seven hours and only a day, the speed in your strikes was impressive and you used your size well to try and throw me off, and it would have worked if I had been anyone else"

Naruto shook his head, "yeah, though technically I've had those seven hours fifty times over, that's over three hundred and fifty hours of practice" he said as he took up his Bokuto again slotting it back in place.

"So," Yūgao argued, "I've had well over ten thousand hours of practice, don't think this is something you can just pick up in a day, no matter how many times you go through it with Kage Bunshin, this will take time"

Naruto nodded, "I know, I'll just have to get stronger"

Yūgao nodded as well in approval, "well if it helps, with your speed and the training you put in, I'd say you're at least up to Genin level now, while you were a strong civilian before, your training today has helped you a lot, and you can only keep growing, especially when your Kage Bunshin get back from the library, I can only imagine what they've been reading up on"

Naruto nodded as he walked over to the boxes filled with water balloons picking one up, "yeah but at least for now…" he said as he held the water balloon gently before it burst in his hand spraying water over it and the ground, "I've got the first stage of this down flat, just stages two and three to go"

Yūgao nodded impressed, "well that just means tomorrow those twenty clones can be divided between the other two steps to help you get them down, hopefully it won't take so long, but if I remember correctly the Yondaime took three years to create that technique, it's impressive you got the first step down in a day"

Naruto grinned, "yeah, but then I guess Tou-san couldn't use Kage Bunshin as much I can, he'd have got it down a lot faster, I just wish they didn't give me such a head…" Naruto started to say before his eyes widened as he clutched his head again going down, "Ow, son of a mother, that hurt, ow" he said as Yūgao smirked stifling a giggle at him.

"Sounds like that's the library group done for the day, so learn anything good?" she asked watching Naruto as he gripped his head still in pain.

Naruto groaned, "Give me a minute, and stop giggling, this isn't funny"

Yūgao shook her head, "well I guess that depends on your perspective of the situation." She reasoned as she watched him while returning her Bokuto to her wrist seal.

Naruto groaned as he slowly reviewed the memories and blinked a few times as the last of them cleared up after a few minutes, "um, that's interesting?"

Yūgao tilted her head, "what's interesting, what scrolls did they read?"

Naruto shook his head, "no it's not that, apparently, I've made a new friend…" he said as he thought back to his memories.

* * *

 **Flashback- Library- Henged Bunshins**

The ten Kage Bunshin entered into the library a few minutes apart, the first group headed off to the local shelves with the civilian scrolls and books, while the second entered Henged as different shinobi as they headed for the shinobi section.

One of the civilian Bunshin headed up to the second floor area to check the shelves to look for more information that would be shinobi related, as he was going up the step ladder to get to one of the higher shelves he heard a loud crash from the other row across, sliding down the sides of the ladder he quickly went to check it out,

Rounding the corner he blinked for a second seeing a large pile of books and scrolls that seemed to have fell from the higher shelves, after a couple of second he registered what he was actually seeing, there was a foot sticking out from beneath the pile and an elbow elsewhere, and he heard a muffled, "Help me" coming from the pile, someone was trapped underneath it all.

Moving quickly the Bunshin started to "dig" the person out from beneath the number of large books and scrolls they were buried under, after several minutes they were finally out.

The Bunshin was trying to catch its breath after the unexpected exercise while the person who it'd dug out was bowing to him over and over again, "thank you, thank you, thank you, a thousand times thank you, I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble, I'm really grateful for your help" the person said over and over so fast the Bunshin barely had time to register it.

Catching his breath the Bunshin was finally able to get a good look at the person it'd dug out from under all the books and scrolls.

She, had light blond hair that was tied back in a ponytail but that was extremely frayed and messy with strands of hair sticking out everywhere, she was wearing a dark brown qipao dress that was shorter than usual with a pair of darker knee length shorts and a white knee-length coat over it all, though he couldn't see her eyes given the thick glasses she was wearing.

"I'm so sorry for all of this, I was just trying to get at one of the scrolls on the top when I pulled the wrong one and tried to put it back only for it all to come crashing down, I'm so sorry" the apologizes over and over.

The Bunshin chuckled, "It's alright, I'm happy to help" he said holding his hand out, "my name's Genji, what's yours?" he asked giving a fake name not sure if he should give his real one under a Henge and as a Kage Bunshin.

The girl bowed a final time before taking his hand with a small smile, "My name's Shiho, I'm the new assistant librarian here, I only just started work last week as a part-timer after I left the academy last year, it's to help my chances about being accepted into the cryptography unit when I apply in six weeks, it's the only branch of the shinobi forces that accept civilians, I kind of flunked the last year of the academy when I couldn't hack the physical stuff"

The Bunshin smiled, "well it certainly is a lofty goal, and I'm sure you're exam scores must be high if your trying to get in there," he reasoned knowing something about the unit from his own studies, it was the unit responsible for code and message deciphering, the people in the unit were apparently extremely smart and knowledgeable about that sort of stuff but Naruto had never thought to really look into it for himself.

Shiho blushed slightly, "it's not really that impressive, it's sort of my only option left after I flunked out, I don't have the mentality for anything else, I can't stand blood so volunteering at the hospital is out, I never liked bugs or working with plants, and I could never torture someone as they do in the intelligence gather department, so with my scores cryptography is all I've got left, but it really was my first choice, I probably would have gone with it from the beginning, it's just something about the symbols and calculations behind it all that just makes it come alive for me, it was the subject in the final year of the academy that I just fell in love with, but at the same time I couldn't do anything else that involved getting physical, I was a complete laughing stock in my academy classes"

The Bunshin crossed his arms, "So? What's wrong with that?" he reasoned, "you've got something you're good at aren't you, something your passionate about, who cares about that other stuff as long as your able to do something and you love doing it who cares about the rest, you'll stick to it and be better at it than anyone else, hell I bet in a couple of years you'll be running that division"

Shiho blush deepened at his praise, "I-I could never do that, I don't have the skills or the knowledge, besides you've only just met me how would you even know if I'm any good to be saying stuff like that about me" she said trying to avoid looking at him embarrassed now.

The Bunshin smirked, "well it's just something I'm good at I guess, I can always tell if someone's a good person, and I can tell that about you, and I just know you'll be great" he said giving her a smile which caused her blush to deepen again.

Shiho was blushing so deeply it looked like she was about to turn into a tomato in her embarrassment, never had she been talked to this way before by anyone, he was so kind and talked so sweetly to her, people tended to just void her given how she was they didn't think she was worth their time, and only came to her when they needed something, help with assignments that involved a lot of note or facts, or if they had questions, and even then no one had ever complimented her like this, it was all just so new.

Shaking her head she quickly tried to get her mind focused, she'd been blushing for over half a minute, he was probably thinking she was weird now, she had to say something, talk to him.

"So, um is there anything I can help you with, it is my job, and I kind of owe you for digging me out from there" Shiho smiled still embarrassed slightly from that incident.

The Bunshin chuckled, "actually now that you mentioned it, I'm looking for anything that would be remotely relevant to a shinobi's career, my sensei dumped me here and told me to pick as many topics as I could and just start reading, not that I mind" he smiled.

Shiho giggled, "sure I think I know a couple of sections that could help you out, follow me and I'll show you" she said leading him out of the row and along the railing area looking over the lower section, only to pause as they looked down on the first floor seeing nearly every table seat occupied with someone, "oh wow," Shiho said in astonishment, "I don't think I've ever seen the library this full before, even before I started working here."

The Bunshin chuckled as they continued on part of him wondering just how many of those occupying seats down there weren't Henged Bunshins like him, something told him there weren't likely to be that many.

* * *

 **Flashback end**

As Naruto finished talking, Anko had rejoined them listening in to the last bits of the story, smirking slightly, though exhausted from her training.

Just as the story finished an ANBU in a purple striped Tori (Bird) mask arrived in a shunshin looking directly at Yūgao, "Neko-san, Hokage-sama has called a meeting of all ANBU members currently in the village, we are to report to HQ within the hour for a mandatory meeting, I have been told to tell you to pass this on to our newest member as he is also to attend tonight as well" the ANBU spoke in a monotone voice.

Yūgao nodded, "thank you, Tori, I'll see that he joins us, we'll be there shortly."

With a nod the ANBU disappeared once more in a shunshin to continue out its objectives, as Anko sighed, "Sounds like training's over for today then?" she half stated, half asked looking at Yūgao who nodded.

"yes, and it looks like we have your welcome to ANBU to attend," Yūgao said looking to Naruto, "we'd better get back to the apartments to get you kitted out to be presented to the other members"

"Hai," Naruto said with a nod, trying to hide his nervousness as they all started to walk back to the apartments.

* * *

 **Scene break**

Walking back into his apartment after splitting from Anko and Yūgao to get ready for the meeting, Naruto walked into his room to get his ANBU mask only to find it along with a storage scroll on his bed with an attached note on it.

Lifting the note Naruto recognized the Hokage's handwriting.

 _"Naruto-Kun_

 _You'll find your ANBU uniform plus five sets of spars, and two sets of ANBU regulation equipment sealed into the scroll this note is on. Wear one set of each with your ANBU mask when attending the meeting tonight._

 _You will find that I have taken the liberty of applying some unique Fūinjutsu to your mask, aside from the chakra sticking array that comes as standard for all masks to keep them on without the need for wrapping. Your mask is equipped with a build in Henge array that is designed to change the hair colour of the wearer when worn, I have it set as the same shade of red as your Kaa-chan, Kushina, I thought you would appreciate that particular colour as you have your Tou-san's blond already._

 _You will be getting your ANBU mark tonight when you are presented to all ANBU currently in the village and not away on missions, your face will not be revealed as you are assigned directly under myself and only I and those I chose will know your identity, it is safer this way for now._

 _See you soon_

 _Jiji"_

Naruto smiled as he quickly started to change out of his clothes and pulled on one of the sets of ANBU gear, a set of black ANBU pants with shin bindings and black shinobi boots, a grey flak jacket with a black undershirt and two arm guards.

With his gear on him, he slotted his weapons into place, two hidden kunai under both arm guards, and the standard hip pouch.

Turning to the mirror in his room with his mask in hand Naruto looked at it as he raised it up to his face and place it on, he felt the chakra arrays connecting as the mask secured itself to his face, and he felt a small amount of chakra go into the second array as he watched as his blond hair faded from blond to red from roots to tips.

And just like that, ANBU operative code name Kitsune was ready to make his debut appearance.


End file.
